Chris McCausland and Lee Mack will star as feuding neighbours in Sky Max Christmas comedy Bad Tidings.
Comedians Chris McCausland and Lee Mack are building up quite a portfolio of work together – they previously collaborated on an episode of the latter’s hit sitcom Not Going Out last year, in which McCausland played a passenger travelling in the same carriage as Lee’s family, and they also presented at the BAFTAs together, as well as McCausland making appearances on Mack’s game show Would I Lie To You.
They are now starring together in festive film Bad Tidings for Sky Max. The synopsis reads as follows:
This year’s Sky Original Christmas special revolves around grumpy home-security expert Neil (Mack) and his neighbour Scott (McCausland), who insists on keeping his Christmas lights illuminated all-year-round. And mixing up their bins, criticising Neil’s ‘project’ car and generally winding him up. Basically, Scott’s a git. He’s also blind and all the other neighbours think he’s great. When Scott is appointed head of the Neighbourhood Watch, Neil is the only one to question his suitability for the role. Their tit-for-tat argument culminates in Neil triggering a power-cut across the entire street. On Christmas Eve. Everyone is forced to evacuate, and Neil and Scott are left alone and on guard. But the local crime family decide to rob every house on the street in a single night, and the pair must set aside their differences to defeat them. They’ve got no lights, no cameras, no alarms and one of them is blind. Which might just be an advantage…
The cast also includes Rebekah Staton, Sarah Alexander, Ben Crompton, Emily Coates, Josiah Eloi, Millie Kiss, Tupele Dorgu, Sunil Patel, Susan Kyd and Donna Preston.
The film was written by McCausland and Ghosts stars Laurence Rickard and Martha Howe-Douglas.
McCausland said, according to the British Comedy Guide, “Talk about a back of an envelope idea that has got out of hand, we are now making a Christmas comedy film and it’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to get up to some hilarious mayhem with Lee and bring some festive spirit into people’s living rooms this Christmas!”
Mack added, “I love Chris McCausland, I love the script and I Iove Christmas. Where do I sign?”
Production begins this month at Sky Studios Elstree with the special set to air in a 90 minute slot on Sky and Now TV this Christmas.
