BBC Two comedy thriller The Wrong Mans begins filming second series
Filming has recently started on the second series of the in-house produced BBC Two and Hulu’s critically acclaimed comedy The Wrong Mans, created by and starring BAFTA and Tony Award-winning actor James Corden (One Man Two Guvnors, Gavin And Stacey, The History Boys) and British Comedy Award-winner Mathew Baynton (Horrible Histories, Peep Show, Gavin And Stacey).
They star as office workers Phil Bourne and Sam Pinkett, whose hum-drum existence was turned upside-down by a case of mistaken identity. The show is produced and directed by BAFTA and Golden Globe nominee Jim Field Smith (Episodes, Butter, She’s Out Of My League).
Sam (Mathew Baynton) and Phil (James Corden) are on an international quest to prove once again they are The Wrong Mans. This time round the hapless friends find themselves in deeper, darker danger than ever before. After earning their status as hometown heroes, Sam and Phil are blasted back to zeroes again. Now they must make a difficult choice; hide in the dark and be forgotten forever or brave it in a world that doesn't even think they exist.
Their globetrotting adventures take them across deserts, through tunnels, inside prisons, on board planes and trains, as they duck knives, dodge bullets and deal with WMDs. But the cartels, the terrorists and the spooks they encounter have underestimated Sam and Phil's determination to get home for Christmas and reclaim their lives.
The show's creators and co-stars, James Corden and Mathew Baynton, said: “We're thrilled to be bringing The Wrong Mans back to the BBC, who along with Hulu have supported the show so passionately. This new series is bigger and bolder and presumably a total nightmare for our director. If series one was the frying pan, this is the fire."
Director and producer Jim Field Smith added: "I'm really looking forward to putting Mat and James through even more pain and violence than last time. Sorry, I mean Sam and Phil."
This time Mat and James are joined by a stellar international cast that includes Anastasia Griffith (Damages) as Miller, an ambitious DEA Special Agent on the trail of Mexican drug kingpin Carlos Espinosa, portrayed by Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto) alongside John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm) as his unscrupulous attorney Kinsmann. Olivier Award-winner Bertie Carvel (Matilda, Doctor Who, Sherlock) stars in the role of Nathan Cross, an unpredictable White Supremacist with a secret, and Ray Panthaki (EastEnders, 28 Days Later, Kidulthood) portrays Khalil, who enlists Sam and Phil to help him bring down a terrorist gang. Other guest stars include Samantha Spiro (Bad Education, Grandma’s House) and Trevor Cooper (Happy Go Lucky, Holby City).
Returning to the cast are Dawn French (The Vicar Of Dibley, French & Saunders, Roger & Val) as Phil’s fragile mum Linda Bourne, and Rebecca Front (The Thick Of It, Grandma’s House) as Cox, the unrepentant head of MI5. Sarah Solemani (Him & Her, Bad Education) reprises the role of Lizzie Green, Sam’s ex-girlfriend and former boss who is on the hunt for the truth. Other returning cast members include co-writer Tom Basden (W1A, Plebs) as Sam's former colleague Noel and Alec Utgoff (Jack Ryan) as a strangely familiar Russian agent.
The 4x30-minute comedy was commissioned for BBC Two by Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning and is a co-production between BBC In-house Comedy and Hulu, executive produced by Mark Freeland and Myfanwy Moore. The series is produced and directed by Jim Field Smith (Episodes, Butter, She’s Out Of My League).
Shane Allen, BBC Controller of Comedy said: “This series injects plenty more comedy gas into the action thriller tank. James and Mat have written a taut and exhilarating follow-on with deft plot twists, epic cliff-hangers, and a carpet bomb of tremendous gags and scenarios throughout. Strap in, comedy doesn’t get more adventurous than this.”
The first series of The Wrong Mans won a 2013 RTS Award for Best Writer Comedy for Mathew Baynton and James Corden with Tom Basden, as well as a BAFTA TV Craft nomination in the Best Writer Comedy category. Both James and Mathew were nominated against each other for a BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. Internationally, The Wrong Mans was nominated for Best Television series at the Satellite Awards, as well as Best Actor nominations for both James and Mathew.
