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A TV-reporter pal forwarded along a BBC America press release late yesterday that may well have scared off us away from the whole email thing for a while. We have no idea what they're pitching, and we have no idea how they're trying to pitch it. But when this photo ("It came up, unbidden, in my inbox," said our friend. "I didn't look away quickly enough.") is what we're opening with, well, we're very pleased to be oblivious.

The complete release is after the jump.

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[Click to enlarge, if you must.]

From: xxxx@bbc.co.uk
Date: February 1, 2006 10:53:25 AM CST
Subject: BBC AMERICA: Little Britain's back, dahlings!

Little Britain is back for a third season premiere on March 17. Please find below the full press kit with episodics and character profiles. Please let me know if you would like a screening copy.
Best, Leslie
Leslie Sepuka | Publicity Manager | BBC AMERICA | 747 Third Avenue | 6th Floor | New York, NY 10017
212.705.XXXX | bbcamerica.com

MEGA-HIT LITTLE BRITAIN RETURNS FOR A THIRD SEASON -Off-the-wall sketch comedy unleashes a whole new season of freaks-

Little Britain has earned twenty-seven industry awards to date, celebrity fans Johnny Depp and Nicholas Cage can't get enough of it and Little Britain talking dolls were the holiday gift for British kids in '05. Joining the likes of Ricky Gervais, the creators and stars of Little Britain, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, have truly earned their place in the history of British comedy. They've been immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds, their infamous catchphrases have entered every day speech in Britain and they've successfully reinvigorated the classic sketch show format. Catch a brand new season of the series that started as a cult, but is taking the world by storm — Little Britain season three premieres Friday, March 17, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

"I'm the only gay in the village" and "But, I'm a lady" are just two of the many catchphrases of this multi-award winning comedy that have become so popular, schools in Britain have had to ban the use of them. Season three of the ultimate catchphrase comedy sees the welcome return of solitary gay villager Daffyd, questionable ladies in crinoline Florence and Emily, and Sebastian and his beloved Prime Minister Michael (Anthony Head, Buffy). Also joining them are teenage delinquent Vicky "Yeah, but no, but yeah" Pollard, Lou and "I want that one" Andy and Marjorie and her class of Fat Fighters.

For this new season Matt and David have dreamed up a whole new set of characters. There's Dudley, who buys Ting Tong Macadangdang, a mail order bride from Thailand. Unfortunately she looks more like a linebacker than her catalog photo. And there's Mrs. Emery, a sweet old lady with an unfortunate inability to control certain bodily functions. Other new characters include Sir Norman Fry, a politician who is one press conference away from disaster; Desiree, the 280 pound ex-Olympic gymnast and love rival of obese spa-bunny, Bubbles and frog fan Letty who loves everything froggy — just not the real thing.

The third season also features guest appearances from Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Nigel Havers (Manchild) and Rob Brydon (Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story). Matt and David are currently on a sold-out tour of the UK featuring all their favorite characters from the show and Little Britain: The Complete Second Series is available on a 2-disc DVD set on May 23, 2006.

For up-to-the-minute information on BBC AMERICA, forthcoming U.S. premieres, art work and news from the channel, log on to www.press.bbcamerica.com.

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring razor-sharp comedies, provocative dramas, life- changing makeovers and news with a uniquely global perspective. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV.

For more information about BBC AMERICA visit www.bbcamerica.com

New characters:

Dudley and Ting Tong Dudley receives delivery of his new bride, Ting Tong Macadangdang, lovingly chosen from his Thai Brides For You brochure. Unfortunately, Ting Tong does not live up to the picture. In fact, she could be prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act. Incensed Dudley orders her to leave, but Ting Tong has a very persuasive tongue and convinces him to let her stay, just for one night...

Desiree De Veres At Hill Grange Health Spa, Bubbles De Vere gets a shock when she bumps into her ex-husband, Roman De Vere. He and his new wife, 280- pound ex-Olympic gymnast Desiree, are honeymooning at the Spa. Sparks fly as Bubbles comes face to face with the woman who destroyed her marriage.

Sir Norman Fry Member of Parliament Sir Norman has a perfect family — he is happily married with three children and a dog. What a shame that he has a rather unfortunate habit of getting caught in the most unconstitutional of positions with strangers — nothing, however, that a press conference with his family won't sort out.

Mrs. Emery She's a sweet old lady, always ready to stop and have a chat, whether it is at the supermarket, the post office or in the street. The only problem is her inability to control certain bodily functions.

Sid Pegg Nosey, mean-spirited and overzealous, Sid is the neighbor from hell. He runs the local Neighborhood Watch Committee with military precision, much to the alarm and amusement of his fellow residents. Any would-be vandals or litterbugs beware — Sid operates a zero-tolerance policy.

Warren At St Denise's Hospital, Warren's tearful family sit around his bedside, waiting as the old man takes his final breath. It can only be a matter of time — except that Warren isn't quite ready to kick the bucket just yet. He's just got time to fit in one last caf latte, oh, and a chocolate muffin if they've got one...

Letty She just loves everything froggy — ornaments, birthday cakes, cuddly toys — in fact anything and everything frog-themed. However, she has a rather violent reaction to the real thing.

Leonard Leonard is a gentle man who works in an old people's home. He goes to great lengths to make sure the pillows are plumped because he is very particular about comfort — his own comfort, that is. Entertainment Don Don and Pat's favorite food is curry, but when Don goes for the hottest dish on the menu it has an extraordinarily tuneful side-effect.

Alan You'll always find Alan out on the street, rattling his tin, collecting for the local donkey sanctuary. He's very well-meaning, but beware! Once you've donated your money, he tends to plant his sanctuary sticker in the most intimate places.

Returning favorites:

Bubbles Hello daaahhlings! She's back, she's bigger than ever, and she's booked in for a fondue facial at noon. Still running up bills larger than her backside at the Hill Grange Health Farm, Bubbles is content with not only expanding her own considerable size, but also that of her absent husband's credit rating. Imagine the horror, however, when the not-so-absent Roman (Rob Brydon) turns up at the club with some pretty heavyweight competition in tow!

Carol Carol has moved on from her career in turning down everyone for financial aid at the local bank. She is now delivering her very own unique brand of customer service at a travel agency in the new town of Spongebob Squarepants. She's happy to discuss a possible destination with you, as well as run through all the deals available - just don't expect to be able to book a vegetarian meal for one. Why? "Computer says no."

Dafydd — the only gay in the village Everyone's favorite gay Welshman is back and he's gay, okay, so just get with the program! Being the only gay, he continues in his fight for gay rights, this time standing in the local bi-election (it's for gays and straights too, just so we're clear) as the representative for The Gay Rights for Gays party. And proving that sex and politics always go hand in hand, he embarks on a new career as a prostitute. Needless to say, he's quite a hit down at the local mine.

Vicky Pollard Everyone's favorite bad girl is back. Yeah, but no, but yeah — the teen bad dream that everyone loves to love is still the biggest, and, well, the biggest delinquent on the block. Splitting her time between, like, six kids from seven different blokes, and well, like, this whole totally fake tabloid expos or summin' and then there's, like, this whole other thing or summin' or nuffin' as well.

Emily and Florence — the terrible transvestites Emily and Florence are back in all their finery and are still determined to prove once more how very ladylike they are. Ignoring the small issue of uncontrollable facial hair, square jaws, and low speaking voices, you would never guess that what lies beneath those crinolines isn't quite as ladylike as one might first have thought.

Lou and Andy It's all still a big kerfuffle for Lou, looking after Andy's every need. There's a trip to the air show to organize, an unscheduled game of rugby to play, and a rather wet and wild trip to the local aquarium to contend with. On top of everything else, Lou receives some sad news which means he has to leave Andy in the hands of new care-giver, Mrs. Mead (Imelda Staunton). Needless to say, Lou doesn't like it.

Marjorie Dawes and the Fat Fighters As Marjorie Dawes returns with some more key dieting tips for her class, she takes the term "cruel to be kind" to another level. Mean-spirited Marjorie delights in pointing out all their dietary faults while simultaneously ignoring her own. Never one to enjoy other people's happiness or success, she's always looking for fresh ammunition with which to inflict even more pain and misery. However, a mishap at the local tanning salon gives her class a brief respite from the verbal onslaught and an opportunity to fight back.

Michael and Sebastian The life of the Prime Minister is very hard work. Not only do you have the complexities of foreign policy to deal with and the British public to face, but all this has to be done while having to fending off the amorous advances of your aide. Following a moving rendition of Christina Aguilera's Beautiful in the House of Commons, it seems that Sebastian's secret love it is not so secret anymore — not that it ever really was, to be honest!

CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS

Written and performed by Matt Lucas and David Walliams Narrated by Tom Baker (Doctor Who, Monarch of the Glen) Directors Declan Lowney (Cold Feet, Father Ted) Matt Lipsey (Human Remains) Steve Bendelack (The League of Gentlemen) Producer Geoff Posner (dinnerladies)

Executive Producer Jon Plowman (BBC)

WHAT THE UK PRESS SAID ABOUT SEASON THREE:

"Entirely worth tuning in for Anne (mental patient) as Celine Dion. Laugh your organs dry at that." Guardian

"The hits remain spectacular. Vicky Pollard, Marjorie Dawes and Bubbles de Vere, all nailing huge laughs." The Sun

"This show has undeniably been the greatest broadcasting event of the past couple of years. My kids can repeat whole scripts." Sunday Times

"Brilliantly done and very, very funny. The incredible level of inventiveness ensure that even the most familiar characters still provided top-flight laughs." Daily Telegraphritain Series 3 "The best new character has to be Sir Norman Fry, MP. I loved the fact that there is nothing so bad that it can't be solved by hauling out the - very horrified - family for a press conference!" The Sun

WHAT THE US PRESS SAID ABOUT SEASON ONE AND TWO:

"Try some real humor courtesy of Little Britain... Think of it as Saturday Night Live, except funny and with accents." U.S. News & World Report

"Postmodern Pythons: The latest British comedy phenom would be Little Britain, in which funny-men Matt Lucas and David Walliams enact various village loons and losers — bad crossdressers, ditsy teens, sneaky hypnotists, rubber-clad 'gayers,' blackface entertainers." Newsday

"There's no doubt that the Queen's subjects are a splendidly perverse lot, but Matt Lucas and David Walliams' sketch show brilliantly highlights the freakiest of the freaks. B+" Entertainment Weekly

"British comedy has a long and distinguished history, but it has never seen anything quite like Little Britain. Comics David Walliams and Matt Lucas, the men behind the show, don a number of grotesque guises while portraying a series of recurring characters. The jokes are repetitive and puerile - and completely hilarious." Washington Post

"Get your ha-ha here. Score another one for those witty Brits. Talented wackos David Walliams and Matt Lucas team up for this inspired sketch comedy romp, zinging English culture with giddy irreverence." Detroit Free Press

"Little Britain, Big Laughs: Get ready for a gallery of English eccentrics (lunatics more precisely, nearly all played by Matt Lucas and David Walliams) and a slew of soon-to-be-ubiquitous catch phrases (trust us, in six months, 'But I'm a lay-dee' will be everywhere)." men.style.com

EPISODE SYNOPSES

Episode one At Hill Grange Health Spa, Bubbles De Vere receives a shock when she bumps into her ex-husband, Roman De Vere, and his new wife, ex- Olympic gymnast Desiree, who are honeymooning at the Spa. At the same time, Dudley receives delivery of his new bride, Ting Tong Macadangdang, chosen from his Thai Brides For You brochure. Though her appearance doesn't match the picture in the brochure, Ting Tong's oral skills are enough to persuade Dudley to let her stay one more night. Meanwhile, Mrs. Emery's inability to control her bodily functions in the local supermarket results in a nasty wet patch in the frozen foods section, and politician Sir Norman Fry's ill-advised trip to King's Cross ends with a rather awkward press conference. Elsewhere, Anne fulfils her dream to sing in public; Florence and Emily tackle the very unladylike problem of facial hair; Dafydd's new career as a prostitute is proving to be a real hit down at the local mine and Vicky shows off her dancing skills as she and her gang prove once and for all that they are "well the best dancers". Episode one premieres Friday, March 17, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Episode two Care home worker Leonard is getting very comfortable — some might say a little too comfortable — in Mrs. Carpenter's chair, and Don and Pat pay a visit to their favorite Indian restaurant, although the spicy food has a rather unusual effect on Don's constitution as he unleashes a torrent of '80s game show catchphrases. Elsewhere, college secretary Linda Flynn describes a female student as "Magnum PI" — referring to an unfortunate facial hair problem — while the student under discussion is within earshot; Dafydd succumbs to anti- gay pressure, renounces his gay lifestyle and finds himself a girlfriend; Sebastian serenades the PM with a moving rendition of Christina Aguilera's Beautiful in the House of Commons; the most demanding customer in the world, Mr. Mann, seeks a painting of a disappointed horse, and Lou and Andy are contestants in a game show. Episode two premieres Friday, March 24, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Episode three A trip to the Hill Grange Health Spa sees Roman getting a little more than he bargained for during a facial, when Bubbles takes his beauty treatment into her own rather ample hands. Much to Dudley's horror and exasperation, it appears that Ting Tong has yet more secrets to divulge. A weakness for women in green Lycra, however, gives Ting Tong the opportunity to persuade him to let her stay — just one more night. Elsewhere, Sir Norman Fry is giving a press conference regarding an unfortunate misunderstanding in the toilets on Hampstead Heath and the newest member of Fat Fighters has Marjorie Dawes seeing stars. Episode three premieres Friday, March 31, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Episode four Ting Tong's mother arrives to stay. Needless to say, Dudley's not too happy about the newest addition to the household, particularly when he learns that she's not planning to leave any time soon. Meanwhile. neighborhood watch leader Sid Pegg calls an urgent meeting and over at the Hill Grange Health Spa, Bubbles learns the reason why Roman left her for Desiree. At St. Denise's Hospital, Warren's tearful family sit around his bedside waiting for the old man to take his final breath but Warren has a few last requests. Emily and Florence hit the town in order to celebrate Emily's last night as a single "lady". Episode four premieres Friday, April 7, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Episode five Sir Norman Fry has some explaining to do following an incident with a glac cherry, Vicky Pollard is displaying her woeful babysitting skills, and Sid Pegg is up in arms about the defacing of a street sign. Meanwhile, over in Spongebob Squarepants, Carol is boring her clients to death with an in-depth overview of travel insurance. Episode five premieres Friday, April 14, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Episode six Dafydd has to decide whether to remain the only gay in the village or leave to join the other gays in London. Florence has to decide whether or not to hang up her crinolines. And Carol's computer has to decide whether or not to say no to a customer hoping to go on a round-the-world cruise. Elsewhere, Marjorie learns that sorry really is the hardest word and Mrs. Emery visits her doctor complaining of knee trouble. Episode six premieres Friday, April 21, 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT.

Felicia Dougherty
Publicity Coordinator
BBC AMERICA
(001) 212-705-XXXX
www.press.bbcamerica.com