Rhys in Channel 4 sitcom pilot

[size=100:4kumwyud]Rhys Darby joins C4 sitcom



Channel 4 have landed the services of Flight Of The Conchords star Rhys Darby for a sitcom pilot later this year.

The comedian – who plays band manager Murray in the HBO series – is to play down-on-his-luck magician Dermot Flint in the one-off special The Amazing Dermot, which will air as part of the channel’s Comedy Showcase season.

His character was a success, but his career crashed after "
an unfortunate incident involving two brothers and some French kissing under hypnosis"
.

In the space of a week Dermot's wife leaves him, his TV show is cancelled, and he moves into rehab.

The show also features Darren Boyd, who previously co-starred in the BBC One sitcom Kiss Me Kate opposite Amanda Holden.

It is being made by Ash Atalla, the producer of The Office, through his company Roughcuts.

The commission was announced last month along with a five other Comedy Showcase plots, but no cast were known until now.

A previous run of showcases led to full series of Plus One, The Kevin Bishop Show and Free Agents.

Andrew Newman, head of comedy at Channel 4, says: "
The Comedy Showcase season will be putting new and innovative ideas and scripts into the heart of the Channel 4 schedule while featuring new talent both on and off screen."


Other shows in the series are: PhoneShop: A semi-improvised sitcom to be script edited by Ricky Gervais;
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, starring David Cross as an American businessman working in the UK;


Guantanamo Phil, starring Steve Edge as a prisoner released from Guantanamo Bay, Campus, a university-set comedy being developed by Green Wing maestro Victoria Pile.

Last on the list is Pete vs Life, about a man whose every move is remarked upon by sports commentators.

tanfastic wrote:Sounds like a great role for him. Is Ch 4 British?

[size=100:vu6dzbfg].. and that's a wrap! Keep an eye out folks. The Amazing Dermot - November ch 4 UK. It's gonna be a goodie.

[size=100:e379p12a]
I was in town to watch pilot episodes of Channel 4’s second Comedy Showcase. The series of seven comedy singles kicks off on November 6 (at 10pm) and boasts a wealth of new and established talent. Aired in 2007, the first showcase was a triumph, spawning full-series commissions for The Kevin Bishop Show, Plus One and Free Agents.

...

The Amazing Dermot

Rhys Darby (Murray Hewitt in Flight of Conchords) stars as the deliciously offensive Dermot Flint in a comedy executive produced by Ash Atalla (The Office and The I.T. Crowd). Darby plays Dermot Flint, a master illusionist and stage hypnotist whose wife has split and whose TV show has been cancelled, all within the space of a week. The episode follows antipodean Dermot as he checks into rehab following a highly publicised court case involving hypnosis, two brothers, and French kissing. Throwing a spanner in his character-reformation works are a deaf nurse (“does she know she’s deaf?” wonders Dermot) and a body double played by Green Wing actor Darren Boyd.

Dermot is invested with a winning combination of foul language, misunderstanding, a titanic ego and absolutely no self-awareness. [size=133:e379p12a]Anyone familiar with Flight of Conchords will know Darby has brilliant timing, and this role looks set to bolster his reputation as a great actor. Next to TIPDOTM, I’m most excited about this one.

sargifster wrote:

[size=100:ff64rril]
I was in town to watch pilot episodes of Channel 4’s second Comedy Showcase. The series of seven comedy singles kicks off on November 6 (at 10pm) and boasts a wealth of new and established talent. Aired in 2007, the first showcase was a triumph, spawning full-series commissions for The Kevin Bishop Show, Plus One and Free Agents.

...

The Amazing Dermot

Rhys Darby (Murray Hewitt in Flight of Conchords) stars as the deliciously offensive Dermot Flint in a comedy executive produced by Ash Atalla (The Office and The I.T. Crowd). Darby plays Dermot Flint, a master illusionist and stage hypnotist whose wife has split and whose TV show has been cancelled, all within the space of a week. The episode follows antipodean Dermot as he checks into rehab following a highly publicised court case involving hypnosis, two brothers, and French kissing. Throwing a spanner in his character-reformation works are a deaf nurse (“does she know she’s deaf?” wonders Dermot) and a body double played by Green Wing actor Darren Boyd.

Dermot is invested with a winning combination of foul language, misunderstanding, a titanic ego and absolutely no self-awareness. [size=133:ff64rril]Anyone familiar with Flight of Conchords will know Darby has brilliant timing, and this role looks set to bolster his reputation as a great actor. Next to TIPDOTM, I’m most excited about this one.

[url=The whole article][/url]

Soon

[size=100:786zzb3e]Brand new sitcom pilot for Channel 4's Comedy Showcase season, starring Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Yes Man, The Boat that Rocked) produced by Ash Atalla (The Office, The IT Crowd, Man Stroke Woman).

CHANNEL 4, 4TH DECEMBER, 10PM!Channel 4, 4th December, 10pm

Starring: RHYS DARBY (Flight of the Conchords, Yes Man), DARREN BOYD (Green Wing, Smack the Pony, Saxondale), ALEX MACQUEEN (The Inbetweeners, In the Loop), SINEAD KEENAN (Being Human, Doctor Who, Moving Wallpaper) and introducing GENEVIEVE BARR.

Written By: Jack & Harry Williams

Directed by: Martin Dennis

Plot outline: Master illusionist and stage hypnotist Dermot Flint (played by Flight Of The Conchords star Rhys Darby) attempts to get his career back on track after an unfortunate incident involving two brothers and some french kissing under hypnosis.

In the space of one week Dermot's wife leaves him, his TV show is cancelled, and he moves into rehab. However his attempts to get his life back on track are ruined by his ego, a body double and a deaf nurse.

Produced by ASH ATALLA (The Office, the IT Crowd, ManStrokeWoman).

[size=133:repfudj7]Rhys Darby: The Amazing Dermot
Nov 30 2009 By Lisa Williams

[size=100:repfudj7]Rhys Darby stars in The Amazing Dermot, the latest instalment of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase on Friday December 4. He tells us about the show, his adoration of British comedy and what the future might hold for his famous alter ego Murray, hapless manager of cult duo Flight Of The Conchords.

The Kiwi funnyman has become a cult hero for his role in Flight Of The Conchords as Murray Hewitt, the good-natured jobsworth who aspires to propel the titular band into the spotlight and who begins every three-man band meeting with a register.

The series started life as fellow New Zealanders Bret MacKenzie and Jemaine Clement's musical comedy act - billed as 'Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo' - which they touted around live venues and festivals, eventually winning the coveted Perrier Comedy Award at Edinburgh Festival in 2003.

Rhys came on board when their act was turned into a comedy series for BBC Radio 2, and stayed for the ride when HBO offered to make it into a TV series, which promptly found its way back on to the BBC.

"
We had this synergy,"
Rhys recalls of his time with Bret and Jemaine.

"
We improvised a lot of band meetings and I loved working with the boys. It's unusual to find that."


Fans of the show have been dismayed to hear that there may not be a third series, after events of the ill-fated band and their manager were neatly tied up at the end of the second.

Rhys thinks it might have something to do with the pressure on the band to write three songs per episode.

He says: "
They certainly enjoyed the writing process but the fact they had to pull together 20 new songs - that was the pressure, not that they didn't enjoy it but just that, as a musician, you don't want to be under that strain.

"
That's why there's not many comedies around with individual songs. They started with three songs an episode so maybe they were signing their own death warrant, they should have just done one."


But he's adamant that it's not the "
end of the end"
and both he and Jemaine have suggested they'll team up again in the future for a special episode or even a film.

Meanwhile, Hollywood, family life and other promising new projects beckon.

Rhys has already made it on to the big screen with roles in Jim Carrey vehicle Yes Man and alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost in Richard Curtis's ensemble piece The Boat That Rocked.

He's now here to talk about The Amazing Dermot, a pilot episode for Channel 4 in which he plays the title character - a sleazy, deluded magician who can't help but put his foot in it at every turn.

So is this role the one which can help him make a break from Murray?

"
Yeah, definitely,"
Rhys asserts.

"
Yes Man was not a million miles away from Murray. My role was a slight step in a different direction but it was keeping in the same ballpark - a nerdy loser, and then in The Boat That Rocked I guess the character was quite nerdy, so to me it was important to not be a nerd again.

"
I don't mind being a loser all the time but..."
he says before stopping himself and putting on a whiney, victim's voice to add: "
Look at me! 'I don't mind being a loser all the time but it would nice to be a winner once in a while'."


Rhys lets out a belting laugh, but he's serious.

He continues: "
I knew that, as much as I can be a nice guy and I am a nice guy as a person, we all have more than one streak in us and I know I can really play the other side of the coin. I probably will surprise a few people with it. Dermot has empathy too and you have to have that in order to go with them. If he was a complete prick that you don't feel sorry for you wouldn't like him."


Dermot's first adventure sees him check himself into rehab as a publicity stunt after a high-profile magic trick goes wrong.

Also residing at the hospital is an unspeaking character called Edmonds, whose tendency to dole out mystery boxes gives viewers a big nudge as to who it's meant to represent.

But if the team behind the programme are worried about this, Rhys certainly gives no indication.

"
They did clear it with him originally. As long as we call him Edmonds, people won't realise it's Noel Edmonds,"
he deadpans.

"
He might be flattered at any mention of him on the small screen. If it turns into a very cool, popular sitcom as I think it's going to, he'll get a kick out of being in it, a bit like that neighbour in Home Improvement, the guy that was across the fence."


'If' is the big word at the moment for Rhys. The pilot is being shown as part of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase, a launch pad which has helped comedies such as Free Agents and Plus One land a spot on the channel.

If The Amazing Dermot gets a good response it may well be commissioned for a series, which will require him to move back to London.

This is no bad thing, Rhys reveals, as he misses the city in which he used to live as a stand-up comedian. Neither is it a problem to decamp his wife and young son.

He says: "
The fact it was a UK project actually helped me make a decision because I felt like I had done my stuff in America, I moved back to New Zealand to bring up my child and to live and the other most important part of my life was in England. My son was born there and I lived there for six years so I felt part of my soul was there as well.

"
My wife in particular loves London so it's a very easy decision. She was like, 'Oh yes let's go back there for two months!'"


The UK is also somewhat of a cultural heartland for the comedian who says his comic style is a result of a diet of golden age British comedy.

He says fondly: "
I grew up watching Monty Python and The Goons. I was obsessed with classic British stuff so that was always my default mode. Doing stand up, I tried to be as original as possible which was pretty easy in New Zealand considering we didn't have much stand up."


He even thinks The Amazing Dermot has shades of the classics, giving him another reason to agree to take on the role that was written with him in mind.

He says: "
He's sort of a cross between, and these are two of my favourite shows from the UK, Alan Partridge and Alan B'Stard from The New Statesman. I love both those shows, and this character screamed bits of these two people so it was a joy to see it and I just though 'this is perfect for me'."


Rhys Montague Darby was born in New Zealand on March 21, 1974.

Rhys is currently on tour with his one-man stand up show. He describes his style as a "
3D way of telling the story"
and one reviewer described him as "
a one-man special effect"
.

He and wife Rosie have a three-year-old son called Finn.

His Flight Of The Conchords character was called Bryan Nesbitt in the radio series, which changed to Murray Hewitt for TV.

He had only four days with a dialect coach to perfect a Yorkshire accent for Dermot's spitting image in the pilot of The Amazing Dermot.

sargifster wrote:ADD:

Clips!





I hope you can see these overseas.

blondesnotbombs wrote:

sargifster wrote:ADD:

Clips!





I hope you can see these overseas.

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