Family Tree
Family Tree is a new eight-part comedy series for BBC Two, co-written and co-created by Christopher Guest (Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman) and Jim Piddock (Best In Show, Too Much Sun, Independence Day) and stars Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, This Is 40, The IT Crowd).
Published: 14 June 2013
I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC."
Chris O’Dowd is joined on screen by Nina Conti (For Your Consideration, Her Master’s Voice) playing his sister Bea, and Tom Bennett (The Hunt For Tony Blair, Phoneshop) playing his best friend Pete. Also appearing are Ed Begley Jr., Maria Blasucci, Matt Griesser, Bob Balaban, Don Lake, Michael McKean, Lisa Palfrey, Amy Seimetz and Fred Willard, as well as co-writers/co-creators Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock.
Family Tree follows the world and journey of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick (Chris O’Dowd) from England to California. Having recently lost his job and girlfriend, Tom has a rather unsure sense of his own identity. But when he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt that he never met, he starts investigating his family lineage and uncovers a whole world of unusual stories and characters and a growing sense of who he is and who his real family is.
Family Tree is a single-camera, improvisational, documentary-style comedy, a style that Christopher Guest's films have pioneered.
Janice Hadlow, Controller, BBC Two, says: “I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC. It has a stellar cast led by the fantastic Chris O’Dowd and is an exciting collaboration with NBCU International and HBO. Family Tree will form the cornerstone of BBC Two’s comedy.”
Christopher Guest says: “I am also delighted to welcome myself to BBC Television. I am very lucky to be working with an incredibly talented cast. Chris O’Dowd has been on my radar ever since he was a child actor in Wales.”
Chris O’Dowd added: “I’m terribly excited and monumentally under-qualified to work on an improvised show with Chris Guest. I call him Chris ‘coz we are friends. He calls me George. I don’t know why.”
Directed by Christopher Guest, the executive producers are Christopher Guest, Jim Piddock, Karen Murphy, Deborah Oppenheimer, and Mario Stylianides.
The series was commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller, BBC Two, and Chris Sussman, Executive Editor, BBC Comedy.
Family Tree is a Lucky Giant/HBO co-production in association with NBCUniversal for the BBC.
CM2