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iPlayer is getting its first exclusive program, starring none other than comedy leg end Peter Kay. Kay is behind Car Share, a new sitcom that you can watch on your phone, tablet or computer before it arrives on your television.
Kay has directed the six half-hour episodes of the new series, his first for the BBC after success with Channel 4 shows such as Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere. The world record-breaking comic plays a supermarket worker forced into a car-share scheme with a colleague.
The concept of two people thrown together in confined space should give Kay the perfect platform to mine his signature humour of the everyday. But the format certainly doesn’t sound like it’s had money thrown at it: I’d hazard a guess there isn’t a huge budget for these iPlayer-first projects.
Car Share is one of several new shows to debut first on iPlayer, totalling 40 hours of new stuff this year. Six new short drama films have been commissioned to appear on iPlayer, which may not appear on TV at all.
Premiering new programs on iPlayer first sounds like a great opportunity to build word-of-mouth on new shows, the way hits like Gavin and Stacey built buzz on BBC3 before crossing over to the mainstream.
Exclusive online content is all the rage these days, with US streaming giant Netflix leading the way. Netflix recently produced Kevin Spacey-starring political scheme-em-up House of Cards, based on the 1990 BBC series of the same name. A new series of Arrested Development and a show from Eli Roth are also on the way.
Should the BBC show things on iPlayer first? Are you looking forward to Peter Kay’s latest sitcom delight or do you support anything that keeps him off the telly? Slide on your knees to the comments or head for our Facebook page, where the buffet’s open and we’ve got garlic bread.
