Lincoln Comedy Festival openers to make BBC sitcom

Comedy trio Pappy’s (L-R) Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry

A comedy trio due to perform at Lincoln Comedy festival in October have been commissioned to make a BBC sitcom.

Pappy’s, who will open the festival in Lincoln Performing Arts Centre on October 3, are to produce a six-part series for BBC Three.

Matthew Crosby, Tom Parry and Ben Clark’s new show, which has the working title The Secret Dude Society, will be filmed in front of a live studio audience in Glasgow early next year.

They will also perform their critically-acclaimed Last Show Ever at Lincoln’s fifth annual comedy festival, to be held from October 3-11.

Last Show Ever, which was nominated for ‘Best Comedy Show’ at Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award last month, will see Pappy’s acting as elderly men reflecting on what turned out to be their final show.

Pappy’s have previously performed in Lincoln’s Engine Shed in 2009, at Lincoln Comedy Festival in 2009 and Lincoln Drill Hall in 2010.

Festival Director Shaun Almey said: “It’s great news for Pappy’s and they fully deserve this big break. They have been consistently one of the most entertaining shows on the circuit and at Edinburgh Festival in recent years and we’re just pleased that we can put them on in Lincoln again so people can see what all the fuss is about.”

The festival will also feature comedians including Marcus Brigstock, Andy Osho and The Boy With Tape on his face, who performed a pre-festival show in Lincoln on September 29.