Legendary BBC sitcom returns after seven years with Downton Abbey star in lead role
A BBC mockumentary sitcom is set to return with one of Downton Abbey's biggest stars in a leading role following a seven-year hiatus.
The iconic BBC sitcom W1A, starring Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, is set to make a comeback after a seven-year break. The mockumentary, which ran for three series, featured Hugh in the lead role as Ian Fletcher, the Head of Values at the BBC.
Jessica Hynes played the role of Siobhan, Ian's inept PR. Other notable appearances included Jason Watkins, Monica Dolan, Hugh Skinner, Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey and David Tennant as the narrator.
The show will now be set within the football governing body, Fifa, rather than the BBC. Hugh is expected to reprise his role as Ian, with hopes that Jessica will also return.
Actress Sarah Parish, who portrayed Anna Rampton on the show, revealed the news on That Gaby Roslin podcast. She said: "It's being written - maybe I'm talking out of turn, I don't know.
"John Morton, the writer, is so brilliant and so fabulous at picking out the subtleties of the horror of working in an institution that big, but he did it brilliantly. It was a joyful thing to be in. So Ian Fletcher will continue.
"And I thought probably Siobhan, could go with him because wherever Ian goes, Siobhan goes as well and does all his PR, really badly.
"So I'm hoping that those two characters will have another rebirth into another series."
The series ran between 2014 and 2017, and even featured a webisode in which Ian chaired the first virtual meeting of BBC's COVID-19 Bounce Back Group.
An additional episode was broadcast in 2024 as part of a Comic Relief sketch.
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Many ITV viewers will also remember Hugh's leading role in Downton Abbey, where he played the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley.
Robert, who is the son of the 6th Earl of Grantham and Violet Crawley, is the patriarch of the Crawley family and the co-owner of Downton Abbey
The historical drama series ran between 2010 and 2015, with two film sequels following it in 2018 and 2022.
That Gaby Roslin podcast is available to listen to on streaming platforms now.
