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Rob Brydon talks up new BBC sitcom Bill's Included, launching 20 November

Rob Brydon has given interviews ahead of Bill's Included, a six-part BBC sitcom in which he plays a divorcee who takes in four student lodgers. It starts on BBC One and iPlayer on 20 November.

3 outlets · 1L · 2C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: The Guardian
Image: Digital Spy
Image: Evening Standard

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 1Rob Brydon stars in Bill's Included, a new BBC sitcom due on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 20 November. Centre · 1Brydon plays Bill Beam, described as "a well-meaning but over-enthusiastic divorcee who rents his spare rooms to four students to stay financially afloat". Left · 1The Guardian describes it as a six-parter in which Bill has just been left by his wife, who has run off with the gardener, and takes in four local university students as lodgers.

Mixed · 2The students are played by Dylan Brady, Ada Player, Harry Baxendale and Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, according to the Guardian; Digital Spy also lists Nigel Lindsay, Samantha Spiro and Kevin Eldon in the cast. Centre · 1Brydon said the project came from Steve Coogan's company Baby Cow, which began developing scripts for him four or five years ago, and that it went through several iterations. Left · 1He told the Guardian that Coogan had badgered him for years to do more character comedy, and that an earlier taster of the landlord-and-students idea failed because he was "too creepy".

Centre · 1Brydon said he had not done a sitcom since Gavin & Stacey, having hosted shows such as Destination X, Would I Lie to You? and The Floor, and that he missed the form. Centre · 1He said he hopes viewers will enjoy being "in that world" with appealing characters, and that comedy always needs "a sharpness" and "little bit of edge". Left · 1The Guardian says the series echoes Marion and Geoff, Brydon's 2000 breakthrough sitcom; Brydon said he had not noticed the resemblance until watching it.

Left · 1In the Guardian interview, aged 61, Brydon described himself as a "people-pleaser", said he can play villainy but it does not appeal to him, and said he would never be "bloody Robert De Niro". Left · 1The interview also covers his long collaboration with Coogan, including The Trip, whose fifth series, Northern Lights, is coming soon, and Would I Lie to You?, now in its 19th series.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
A long profile interview presenting Brydon as 'the most chipper man on TV', exploring his career, niceness and friendship with Steve Coogan, with the new show as the hook.
Emphasis
Brydon's career history, persona, and comparisons with Marion and Geoff, The Trip and Would I Lie to You?
Leaves out or plays down
Release date and BBC One/iPlayer details, and the wider cast beyond the four students.
Charged language
“the nicest man in acting”“most chipper man on TV”
For example
“The nicest man in acting is back with new comedy, Bill’s Included.” — The Guardian

Centre2 outlets

Framing
A short promotional-style preview built on Brydon's quotes about the show's tone, with release details and the official synopsis.
Emphasis
Release date, cast, synopsis, and Brydon's wish for 'sharpness and edge' alongside likeable characters.
Leaves out or plays down
Career retrospective, the Marion and Geoff echoes, and Brydon's reflections on Hollywood and villainy.
Charged language
“chaotic”“a bit of sharpness and edge”
For example
“Rob Brydon has given fans a taste of what they can expect from his "chaotic" new BBC sitcom Bill's Included.” — Digital Spy

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

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