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The crisis of leadership Britain has been plunged into over recent years merits sustained study as a cautionary tale. But it demands deeper and sharper analysis than is available in “This England,” a curiously indifferent six-part miniseries notionally centred on former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak, currently limping out on Sky’s U.K. arm.

When Winterbottom’s Revolution Films announced the project (originally titled “This Sceptred Isle”) last year – with Kenneth Branagh unveiled as the project’s Johnson – speculation was rife. Would the series be an ensemble satire, along the lines of Winterbottom’s rambunctious “24 Hour Party People”? Or an artfully sober inquiry, in the vein of the director’s Amanda Knox-inspired “The Face of an Angel”? In fact, it’s neither: what we’ve got is a hurriedly assembled primetime procedural that undermines its claim to rigorous accuracy from the off...

Kenneth Branagh has hit back at claims that his forthcoming drama about Boris Johnson and the Covid pandemic is “too soon”.

The actor and filmmaker plays the former British prime minister in This England, written by Michael Winterbottom and Kieron Quirke.

However, the five-part series’ subject matter has raised a few eyebrows, with some questioning the need for such a series while the pandemic is still ongoing.

“There will be those who say it’s too soon,” Branagh said, in an interview with The Times.

“I think these events are unusual and part of what we must do is acknowledge them. It might allow people to process a little of what went on. Any way of understanding it better is important.”

Winterbottom also claimed that it would be “strange” to live through a pandemic without being able to dramatise it.

Elsewhere in the interview, Branagh discussed his portrayal of Johnson,...

When it was announced that Michael Winterbottom would be making a series about the first pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2022, many assumed—or perhaps hoped—that the politically committed director would be holding the British government to account. However, speaking to Deadline at the 38th Sarajevo Film Festival, 25 years after his acclaimed war drama Welcome To Sarajevo screened there, Winterbottom revealed that, in common with many of his fictionalized but factual feature films, the six-part Sky series This England , which debuts 21 September, will be an ensemble piece, taking a bird’s-eye view of the British authorities’ initial response to Covid.

“Boris is just one strand that runs through it,” he said, “because it’s really a mosaic of lots of different stories. The most enjoyable part was the research, really, because we started it straight after the first wave, in June 2020. We got to talk to lots of scientists,...

Exclusive: Sky’s buzzy series on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has found its latest protagonists in the shape of Elementary actress Ophelia Lovibond and Brexit: The Uncivil War star Simon Paisley Day.

Deadline can reveal that Lovibond will star next to Kenneth Branagh as Johnson’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds, in This Sceptred Isle. Paisley Day will play Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s most senior adviser at the height of the coronavirus crisis, which provides the backdrop to the five-part series.

Co-written and directed by The Trip helmer Michael Winterbottom, This Sceptred Isle is based on first-hand testimony from those close to Johnson. It will chart the events surrounding the Pm, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.

There is little doubt it was an extraordinary period for the British leader, who fell critically ill with Covid-19 and weeks after his discharge from hospital,...

Kenneth Branagh has proved himself a master of transformation over the years, from becoming Hamlet to Gilderoy Lockhart. But as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Sky’s upcoming series “This Sceptred Isle,” Branagh is nearly unrecognizable.

Sky released the first image of Branagh as Johnson on Thursday, showing the actor sporting Johnson’s trademark blond hair, and what looks to be prosthetics to fill out his face.

“This Sceptred Isle” will be a five-part limited series that will track the events of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K., and how Johnson handled the first wave of the crisis for his country.

The series, co-written by Michael Winterbottom — who will also direct all five episodes — and Kieron Quirke, is based on first-hand testimony from those directly involved in handling the Covid response, including hospitals and care homes, Number 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health...

Filming is underway on the Sky Original TV drama.

Filming is underway on Sky Original TV drama This Sceptred Isle, which has revealed a first-look image of Kenneth Branagh as UK prime minister Boris Johnson.

The five-episode drama is directed by Michael Winterbottom and produced by his Revolution Films with Richard Brown’s Passenger and Fremantle.

It will air in autumn 2022 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now TV.

Winterbottom has co-written the series with Kieron Quirke and will executive produce with Brown. Revolution’s Melissa Parmenter will produce with Josh Hyams and Anthony Wilcox.

The drama will focus on...

Sky has released a first-look image of Kenneth Branagh as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in its upcoming Michael Winterbottom series This Sceptred Isle.

Filming has commenced on the five-part series, which will premiere in fall 2022. The project first emerged last year as part of a deal between The Trip director Winterbottom and Fremantle’s Passenger, run by True Detective producer Richard Brown.

Produced by Fremantle, Passenger, and Winterbottom’s Revolution Films, the series will chart the events surrounding the U.K. Prime Minister, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.

It will trace the impact on Britain, and the response of scientists, nurses, and doctors as they worked to contain and overcome the virus. It is based on the first-hand testimony of people including those from Number 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health, The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies...

Kenneth Branagh has been tapped to play U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Michael Winterbottom’s “This Sceptred Isle.”

The five-part limited series will depict the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K., Johnson’s handling of the crisis and the response of health care workers and scientists, as they battle the deadly virus.

The series, co-written by Winterbottom and Kieron Quirke, is based on first-hand testimony from hospitals and care homes in the U.K., Number 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health and The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

Winterbottom will direct all five episodes and executive produce with Richard Brown. Melissa Parmenter will produce with Josh Hyams and Anthony Wilcox.

“The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will be remembered forever. A time when the country came together to battle an invisible enemy. A time when people were more aware than ever of the importance of community,...

Kenneth Branagh will play U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a new Sky TV series detailing Britain’s muddled response to the Covid-19 crisis. The five-part drama will be directed and written by “The Trip” helmer Michael Winterbottom.

Entitled “This Sceptred Isle,” the show will be produced by Fremantle, Richard Brown’s Passenger and Winterbottom’s Revolution Films. The project — which was announced in June but had yet to secure a broadcast partner and announce casting — will chart the events surrounding Johnson and his government in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic. The U.K. leader in late March was hospitalized with Covid-19 for over a week, with a number of days spent in intensive care.

The series will launch on Sky in fall 2022.

“The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will be remembered forever,” said Winterbottom. “A time when the country came together to battle an invisible enemy.

Henry V star Kenneth Branagh is to play British Prime Minister in Sky drama This Sceptred Isle.

The project first emerged as part of a deal between The Trip director Michael Winterbottom and Fremantle’s Passenger, run by True Detective producer Richard Brown.

Sky Atlantic has now boarded the series with Branagh, who recently starred in Tenet, in the lead. It is produced by Passenger and Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films.

The five-part drama will chart the events surrounding the U.K. Prime Minister, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic.

It will trace the impact on Britain from the pandemic, and the response of scientists, nurses, and doctors as they worked to contain and overcome the virus. It is based on the first-hand testimony of people including those from Number 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health, The Scientific Advisory Group...

BBC Two has commissioned a second series of Big Talk Productions’ legal comedy Defending The Guilty.

Will Sharpe will return as idealistic rookie barrister Will Packham, who is learning his trade from Humans star Katherine Parkinson’s Caroline, a cynical, worldly-wise pupilmaster.

Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe), Gwyneth Keyworth (Black Mirror) and Prasanna Puwanarajah also star in the show.

The comedy is written by Kieron Quirke, who wrote Cuckoo, and is based on the book Defending The Guilty: Truth And Lies In The Criminal Courtroom by Alex McBride.

Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen, Saurabh Kakkar, and Quirke are the executive producers for the ITV Studios-owned indie, while Kate Daughton is the executive producer for the BBC. Jim Field Smith is the co-executive producer.

The six-part second series was commissioned by BBC comedy controller Shane Allen, Daughton and Patrick Holland, the controller of BBC Two.

Projects from Riz Ahmed, David Harewood and The Fall creator Allan Cubitt lead an ambitious line-up of new commissions from BBC Two. The British public broadcaster has unveiled a huge slate of shows for its second channel ranging from high-end dramas and comedies through to documentary series.

In drama, it has ordered Englistan, created by The Night Of star Riz Ahmed. The nine-part series, which is produced by BBC Studios Drama London and Ahmed’s own Left Handed Films, is the story of three generations of a British Pakistani families as they pursue their dreams over four tumultuous decades, navigating shifting circumstances and evolving loyalties. The drama will re-frame recent British history, and shine a light on the forces that have remade British society what it is today. It will be exec produced by Ahmed, Esther Springer, Hilary Salmon and Lucy Richer.

The Fall creator Cubitt is adapting Eugene McCabe...

In 2012, it became BBC Three's biggest ever sitcom, and in 2015, a third series was announced - but the path to success for Cuckoo has been far from smooth.

After a first series delivered record-breaking ratings, the show lost its star (more on that later) - but it emerged rejuvenated two years on, its second run charming audiences all over again.

Cuckoo - the story of an eccentric bohemian who infiltrates a straight-laced, middle-class family - was devised by writing partnership Robin French and Kieron Quirke as a vehicle for a Us comedian.

When the project materialised, American actor and comic Andy Samberg was cast in the title role, alongside a cast which included Greg Davies as the uptight Ken and Helen Baxendale as his wife Lorna.

BBC Three was on a hot streak at the time, with the Cuckoo series premiere beating a ratings record only set the previous month...

In 2012, it became BBC Three's biggest ever sitcom, and in 2015, a third series was announced - but the path to success for Cuckoo has been far from smooth.

After a first series delivered record-breaking ratings, the show lost its star (more on that later) - but it emerged rejuvenated two years on, its second run charming audiences all over again.

Cuckoo - the story of an eccentric bohemian who infiltrates a straight-laced, middle-class family - was originally devised by writing partnership Robin French and Kieron Quirke as a vehicle for Us comedian Rob Schneider, who was contemplating a move to the UK.

When the project finally materialised, Schneider was no longer attached - with another American actor and comic, Andy Samberg, cast in the title role, alongside a cast which included Greg Davies as the uptight Ken and Helen Baxendale as his wife Lorna.

BBC Three was on a hot streak at the time,...

Michael Chiklis (American Horror Story: Freak Show) and Cheryl Hines (Suburgatory) are welcoming a Cuckoo to their family.

RelatedPilot Season ’15: Scoop on This Fall’s (Possible) New Shows, Who’s In Them

Per our sister site Deadline, the actors will star in the NBC comedy pilot, an adaptation of the UK series, which featured Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) in its first season, followed by Taylor Lautner (Twilight) in the second installment.

The single-cam project is about a middle-class family whose daughter (played by Jane the Virgin‘s Rachel Dipillo) comes back from a summer abroad married to a...

YouTube's favorite German DJ has gone from the Internet to the big screen to TV. Flula Borg, a musician known for his idiosyncratic personality, will star in Cuckoo, an NBC comedy pilot based of a hit BBC Three series.

In the British version of Cuckoo, which debuted in 2012, starred Samberg as an eccentric American hippie whose British girlfriend brings him home to meet her parents. The NBC version will flip the script by casting an American woman opposite Borg, who will portray the unusual husband she met on a summer abroad. Robin French and Kieron Quirke, who wrote the British version of Cuckoo, will also pen the American version, with Simpsons writer Tim Long serving as showrunner.

The role of an eccentric foreigner should come naturally to Borg, who lives in La after growing up in Erlangen, Germany. In YouTube vlogs, which he broadcasts to his 486,000 subscribers, he often questions unusual English-language turns of phrase,...

BBC Three's Cuckoo is to get a Us remake after a pilot was ordered by NBC.

In the UK show, the first series featured Andy Samberg with the follow-up second run starring Taylor Lautner.

According to TV Line, the single-camera comedy would follow a girl who returns home from abroad married to an eccentric named Cuckoo, annoying her father in the process.

The creators of the original series, Robin French and Kieron Quirke, will write the pilot episode with Tim Long of The Simpsons. Long will also act as an executive producer.

NBC also ordered a pilot adaption of Cuckoo in 2013 but plans fell through.

Watch a clip from BBC Three's Cuckoo below:...

Things are getting Cuckoo at NBC.

The network has given a pilot order to an adaptation of the UK series, which starred Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) in its first season, followed by Taylor Launter (Twilight) in the second installment.

In the potential single-cam comedy, a daughter comes back from a summer abroad married to a charming-but-infuriating eccentric named Cuckoo, much to her father’s annoyance.

Original creators Robin French and Kieron Quirke will pen the pilot with Tim Long (The Simpsons), who also serves as an executive producer.

This is the second straight development season that NBC has tried to adapt Cuckoo.

NBC has ordered comedy pilot “Cuckoo” from Tim Long, a longtime producer on “The Simpsons.”

The single-camera comedy tells the story of a daughter who comes back from a summer abroad after marrying a charming but infuriating eccentric named Cuckoo, much to her father’s annoyance.

Also read: NBC Orders Drama Pilot ‘Game of Silence’ From ‘CSI,’ ‘Friday Night Lights’ Producers

Produced by Lionsgate Television and Roughcut TV, Long will serve as the showrunner, writer and executive producer. Robin French, Kieron Quirke and Ash Atalla also signed on as executive producers.

NBC recently ordered a string of comedy pilots titled...

Stars: Andy Samberg, Greg Davies, Helen Baxendale, Tyger Drew-Honey | Created by Robin French, Kieron Quirke

A cuckoo is a bird that lays its eggs in other bird’s nests, so in human form it’s easy to assume that the Cuckoo is another man moving into a family’s home and encroaching on the territory of the parents. In Cuckoo the BBC comedy it’s not only about the family but also an American comedian going head to head with a British one. When these comedians are Andy Samberg and Greg Davies the results are as expected, very funny.

When Ken Thompson’s (Greg Davies) daughter arrives home from holiday with a new husband he is horrified by what he comes face to face with. Cuckoo (Andy Samberg) is a new age hippy with a liking for drugs and getting naked when the urge takes him. As the two get...

Hollywood actor and star of the Twilight franchise, Taylor Lautner is set to join the second series of BAFTA-nominated comedy Cuckoo on BBC Three.

Taylor Lautner starred as Jacob Black in the blockbuster Twilight saga. He will play a handsome and mysterious stranger in the new series of Cuckoo, who turns up in Lichfield where life in the Thompson household is only just getting back to normal after the disappearance of Cuckoo (Andy Samberg) while on walkabout in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Ken (Greg Davies) and Lorna (Helen Baxendale) are looking forward to a future without the kids under their feet. Dylan (Tyger Drew-Honey) is about to go to university and Rachel (Tamla Kari) is rebuilding her life with her new boyfriend, a nice-but-dull lawyer, Ben. Despite appearances, Cuckoo’s absence is still felt – not least by his young widow, Rachel. Everyone worries she’s lost her mojo since the tragic events in Asia.

BBC Three's Cuckoo is to be remade for Us audiences.

NBC is developing a new version of the UK series, which starred American comic Andy Samberg as the title character - a troublesome hippie.

Like the original, the Us take will focus on a suburban family who are shocked when their daughter returns from a summer abroad with Cuckoo, her eccentric new boyfriend, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Cuckoo - which also starred Greg Davies and Helen Baxendale - became BBC Three's most-watched new comedy when it launched in September 2012.

A second series of the original is believed to be in the works, though a transmission date for the new episodes is yet to be confirmed.

Robin French and Kieron Quirke - creators of the UK show - will serve as executive producers on NBC's remake, while The Simpsons writer/producer Tim Long will serve as showrunner.

> BBC Three comedy Dead Boss...

Andy Samberg may have left NBC for Fox with this fall's "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," but it looks as though his spirit hasn't been forgotten at the Peacock.

On Wednesday (Oct. 9), Entertainment Weekly confirmed that NBC had given a put pilot commitment to a U.S. remake of Samberg's BBC Three comedy "Cuckoo." The Brit series tells the story of a normal family who finds themselves shaken when their daughter returns from a summer abroad with a surprise husband in tow, the very unusual Cuckoo, a wacky hippie whom Samberg portrayed.

U.K. writers Robin French and Kieron Quirke are attached as executive producers and writers on the remake, with Tim Long ("The Simpsons") on board as executive producer and showrunner. The original executive producers, Ash Atalla and Dan Hine, are also attached as producers.

Unless something goes wrong over at Fox, it's not likely that Samberg will be involved.

Check out...

Andy Samberg is about to go a little crazy … or cuckoo, rather.

EW has confirmed that NBC has given a put pilot commitment to a U.S. remake of BBC Three’s Cuckoo, a story about a normal family who gets a rude awakening when their daughter returns from a summer abroad having married a very unusual man named Cuckoo (think hippie). UK writers Robin French and Kieron Quirke will serve as executive producers and writers on the remake with The Simpsons’ Tim Long attached as executive producer and showrunner. The original series’ executive producers, Ash Atalla and Dan Hine,...

Exclusive: Breakout BBC Three comedy Cuckoo starring Andy Sambergt is getting an U.S. remake via NBC, the network behind the most successful British comedy adaptation in the past decade, The Office. NBC has given a put pilot commitment to the single-camera project, from Lionsgate TV and the original series’ producer Roughcut Television. Cuckoo is the story of a middle-class family whose daughter comes back from a summer abroad married to a charming but infuriating hippie moron — a guy called Cuckoo. UK writers Robin French and Kieron Quirke, who created the BBC series, will write the adaptation, with The Simpsons veteran Tim Long on board as showrunner. French, Quirke and Long executive produce with the original series’ exec producers Ash Atalla and Dan Hine. In the British series, an English girl returns home from her post-college gap year with an eccentric hippie American husband named Cuckoo, played by Samberg in...

'SNL' alum will play title character on BBC series 'Cuckoo.'

By Jocelyn Vena

Andy Samberg

Photo:

It's been less than two weeks since Andy Samberg announced his departure from "Saturday Night Live," and he's already got plans to return to the small screen.The "That's My Boy" star will appear in a six-part comedy series on the BBC titled "Cuckoo," the network announced. British funnyman and "The Inbetweeners" actor Greg Davies will also star in the show, filming this summer. The series will follow parents who are stunned to meet their daughter's new husband, "a self-appointed spiritual ninja," played by Samberg.

Samberg's Cuckoo is "a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas" who is taken in by the Thomas family as he embarks on newlywed life with his bride. Davies plays the father, Ken Thomas. The cast is filled out by Helen Baxendale, playing mom Lorna, and Tamla Kari,...

'SNL' alum will play title character on BBC series 'Cuckoo.'

By Jocelyn Vena

Andy Samberg

Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

It's been less than two weeks since Andy Samberg announced his departure from "Saturday Night Live," and he's already got plans to return to the small screen.

The "That's My Boy" star will appear in a six-part comedy series on the BBC titled "Cuckoo," the network announced. British funnyman and "The Inbetweeners" actor Greg Davies will also star in the show, filming this summer. The series will follow parents who are stunned to meet their daughter's new husband, "a self-appointed spiritual ninja," played by Samberg.

Samberg's Cuckoo is "a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas" who is taken in by the Thomas family as he embarks on newlywed life with his bride. Davies plays the father, Ken Thomas. The cast is filled out by Helen Baxendale, playing mom Lorna,...

Andy Samberg isn’t jumping ship from television, but he is jumping across the pond: The comedian, who just completed a seven-year run on Saturday Night Live, will star in Cuckoo, a six-part comedy series on BBC Three also featuring Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners), the London-based network announced today. Samberg will play a New Age-y slacker who marries the daughter (Tamia Kari) of two parents (Davies and Helen Baxendale) who are less than thrilled to welcome this hippie into their home. His character is described as both “square-jawed, self-appointed spiritual ninja” and “every parent’s worst nightmare.”

“The best of...

While he may not have gotten the big send-off that Kristen Wiig enjoyed, Andy Samberg also left Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago at the end of the current season. While his film career is still bubbling along, he’s also decided to stick with TV projects and the BBC has just announced that he’s part of the cast of Cuckoo.The series, created by Robin French and Kieron Quirke, finds Ken (The Inbetweeners’ Greg Davies) and Lorna (Cold Feet’s Helen Baxendale), two very ordinary Midlands parents heading to the airport to pick up their daughter (Tamala Kari) from the airport after her gap year trip.But they’re shocked and dismayed to find that their little girl has gotten hitched to a husband – the “spiritual ninja” Cuckoo (Samberg), a New Age-spouting slacker who in particular gets on Ken’s nerves.It’s being produced by...

Yes, Andy Samberg has left "Saturday Night Live" joining Kristen Wiig in waving goodbye to the iconic sketch comedy show, which should make for a radically different program when it returns in September. And while we'll miss the SNL Digital Shorts (though, we guess he'll team up with this Lonely Island boys to do some special ones from time to time) it looks like Samberg is ready to spread his wings a bit. He already hit Sundance in January with "Celeste And Jesse Forever," a relationship dramedy that's a bit different than we're used to seeing from him and now he's crossing the pond for his next television effort.

Samberg is starring with Welsh comedian Greg Davies in "Cuckoo," a six-part comedy series for BBC Three. Created and written by Robin French and Kieron Quirke, the show follows parents Ken (Davies) and Lorna (Helen Baxendale), who have to deal with...

Andy Samberg's first acting job since leaving "Saturday Night Live" will take him across the pond. He's set to star in a BBC sitcom called "Cuckoo."

The show, which begins filming in the summer, also stars Greg Davies ("The Inbetweeners") and Helen Baxendale ("Friends," "Cold Feet") as the parents of a young woman (Tamla Kari) who comes home from a year abroad with a new husband: Cuckoo (Samberg), a slacker goofball and self-described "spiritual ninja" who will now be living under their roof.

Culture-clashing comedy will presumably ensue.

"The best of British meets the toast of Hollywood. We hope 'Cuckoo' cements the special relationship between our two great countries," executive producer Ash Atalla says in a statement. "I imagine Obama and [British Prime Minister David] Cameron will be watching closely."

Robin French and Kieron Quirke ("Man Stroke Woman," "Trinity") created the show. It's scheduled for six episodes to air later this year on BBC Three.

Even after ending his long run on "Saturday Night Live," Andy Samberg isn't entirely ready to leave the small screen behind.   BBC Three announced on Tuesday (June 12) that Samberg has signed on to star with Greg Davies in the new comedy "Cuckoo."   Created by Robin French and Kieron Quirke, the six-part comedy focuses on Midlands-based parents Ken ("Inbetweeners" vet Greg Davies) and Lorna ("Cold Feet" and "Friends" vet Helen Baxendale) who are surprised to pick up their daughter (Tamla Kari) after a year away to discover that she's now married to a "spiritual ninja" named Cuckoo (Samberg).  ...

Just after confirming his departure from Saturday Night Live, Andy Samberg has joined BBC Three comedy, Cuckoo. The six-part series from Roughcut Television will shoot this summer to air later this year. In it, Samberg will play Cuckoo, the new husband to an English girl returning home from her post-college gap year. The Inbetweeners‘ Greg Davies and Friends‘ Helen Baxendale play the girl’s parents who reluctantly take in their new son-in-law, despite being horrified by his New Age-y, slacker ways. Cuckoo was created and written by Robin French and Kieron Quirke. It will be executive produced for BBC Three by Chris Sussman and by Ash Atalla and Dan Hine for Roughcut. Ben Taylor is directing.

Andy Samberg has said goodbye to "Saturday Night Live" and is saying hello to "Cuckoo." Samberg will star in the six-part BBC "Three" comedy series opposite Welsh comedian Greg Davies, the network announced.

The new series was created and written by Robin French and Kieron Quirke. "Cuckoo" features the Thomas family, father Ken (Greg Davies), mom Lorna (Helen Baxendale) and daughter (Tamla Kari) and her new husband, Cuckoo, played by Samberg. Cuckoo joins the family after the Thomas' daughter returns home after her gap year. The character is described as a "squared-jawed, self-appointed spiritual ninja." Call him a New Age slacker.

"The best of British meets the toast of Hollywood," Ash Atalla, "Cuckoo" executive producer, said in a statement. "We hope 'Cuckoo' cements the special relationship between our two great countries. I imagine Obama and Cameron will be watching closely."

News of Samberg's involvement with "Cuckoo" broke in early June...

Andy Samberg has said goodbye to "Saturday Night Live" and is saying hello to "Cuckoo." Samberg will star in the six-part BBC "Three" comedy series opposite Welsh comedian Greg Davies, the network announced.

The new series was created and written by Robin French and Kieron Quirke. "Cuckoo" features the Thomas family, father Ken (Greg Davies), mom Lorna (Helen Baxendale) and daughter (Tamla Kari) and her new husband, Cuckoo, played by Samberg. Cuckoo joins the family after the Thomas' daughter returns home after her gap year. The character is described as a "squared-jawed, self-appointed spiritual ninja." Call him a New Age slacker.

"The best of British meets the toast of Hollywood," Ash Atalla, "Cuckoo" executive producer, said in a statement. "We hope 'Cuckoo' cements the special relationship between our two great countries. I imagine Obama and Cameron will be watching closely."

News of Samberg's involvement with "Cuckoo" broke in early June...