EXCLUSIVE: Stewart Francis in talks over new sitcom
Stand-up Stewart Francis is writing a sitcom.
Francis, who moved to the UK in 2007, got his big break back home in Canada, starring in the award-winning sitcom An American in Canada, before making guest appearances on Not Going Out and The Omid Djalili Show in the UK.
However this show, a Family Guy inspired trip into the mind of the gag merchant, would be Francis’ first solo TV project since making the trip across the pond.
In an interview with Giggle Beats, he revealed: “The sitcom is like a live version of Family Guy, very surreal, very…like when Peter Griffin says, ‘I haven’t been so happy since-‘ and then it cuts to an aside of Peter doing all sorts…
“There’ll be a lot of play on words. It’s really a day in the life of me, but it’s by no means that boring; it’s an entertaining day in the life of me!
“It’s a great idea if I do say so myself, and in my mind it’s a hilarious sitcom. It’s just a matter of translating that to TV, getting a pilot commissioned and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Francis has also revealed that three production companies want to make the pilot, with meetings on-going over the finer details, including whether the comedian will take the starring role himself.
He added: “I went and saw three producers last week – production companies as it were – and they all wanted to do something with me.
“They’re all keen but you can only work with one company, so we’ve narrowed it down and we’re having a creative meeting this week. Our guys are very, very excited.
“It looks good, but I’m only thinking about getting that pilot right now.”
Our interview with Francis comes as he prepares to embark on a tour with fellow Canadian stand-ups Craig Campbell and Glenn Wool.
The Return of the Lumberjacks tour begins on 17 April in Norwich, before they travel north for shows in Salford (25 & 25 April), Durham (15 May) and York (17 May) amongst others.
However Francis is already looking towards future projects with Campbell and Wool, including a chat show based on their re-union tour.
He said: “The way I see it, [the show] would be a bit like Pee–wee’s Playhouse. We’d all be together in a log cabin in Canadia – the back end of Alberta or something like that – and we’d have guests that drop in on us.
“That’s really just in the ideas stage at the moment, though, so I can’t say much more.”
Since Francis’ move to the UK six years ago, his stock has risen exponentially, making successful appearances on Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Live At The Apollo.
At the age of 51 he went on tour for the first time, before releasing his debut stand-up DVD last Christmas.
However in our interview, to be published next week, the comedian has reiterated has desire to move back into acting.
