Channel 4 has just announced that it is producing Aisling Bea’s debut sitcom, This Way Up, so here’s everything that we know about it so far including the cast, story and air date (details below), plus what we’ve been able to find out about the music and theme tune. If you recognise the name or face in the image above, but you’re not too sure where you know it from, Aisling has been in everything from We Are Klang and Dead Boss to Assassin’s Creed III, Gap Year and 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
It’s not her first attempt at writing a television comedy having worked on scripts and projects for a number of years with none of them going on to air. However, perseverance has paid off with the upcoming Channel 4 production, and as a result she describes This Way Up as “a dream come true”.
Air date
The official air date has now been confirmed, and the sitcom will be on Channel 4 on the 8th August 2019 at 10pm. It’ll then be going out weekly every Thursday until the end of series 1.
Based on the look of the picture above, filming was more than likely all done and dusted back in June when the first look images arrived for the debut series. It’s obviously a stylised set shot to emphasise the topsy-turvy title.
While it was always possible that This Way Up was going to air later in 2019, Channel 4 is notorious for announcing shows only to release them a month or so later later and that turned out to be the case again with Aisling Bea’s comedy.
This Way Up cast
In addition to writing the show, Aisling Bea is also leading the cast as Aine, an English teacher dealing with the aftermath of a minor nervous breakdown. She’s joined by Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) as her worrisome sister Shona, Aasif Mandvi as Shona’s boyfriend Vish, and Indira Varma (Elaria Sand from Game Of Thrones) playing Shona’s colleague and confidante Charlotte.
The impressive cast list also includes Tobias Menzies (Game Of Thrones) as Richard, the father of one of Aine’s TEFL students, Sorcha Cusack as her mum, Chris Geere as her ex Freddie, Kadiff Kirwan as roommate Bradley, Ricky Grover as friend Tom, and Ekow Quartey as her boss James. Her class of TEFL students have been cast with Pik-Sen Lim, Todor Jordanov, Jassem Mougari, Daniela Spataru in the roles.
Theme tune
With the recent arrival of This Way Up on Channel 4 we got a sample of the music that has gone into the series. While there isn’t a theme tune as such for the Channel 4 comedy, it manages to weave a lot of music into each episode.
There’s definitely a feel of Fleabag meets Catastrophe about the story, but with a hint of Glow the RnB years where the music is concerned. Its avoided producing a unique theme song composed specifically for the show and instead gone ultra-cool chopsticks in the banjax and forget about a theme tune altogether, a la de une un Phoebe Waller-Bridge effort. It’s on Channel 4 in the UK and Hulu in the US, so it had “in need of a theme song” written all over it, but it’s shunned that in favour of a series of different tracks.
The arrival of the trailer below seemed to be the initial proof that the Bebe Rexha track, The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) feat. Lil Wayne might well have been the theme song. However, it turns out to be just one of the various music tracks woven into the show. You can listen to the song in full with the music video below or you can check out Aisling miming along to it with what looks like a black-headed toothbrush over her teeth in the trailer at the bottom of the page. It’s weird, but pretty funny.
More music from Episode 1
In addition to the Bebe Rexha song, Episode 1 also included a snippet from Fuse ODGs Azonto.
What’s the story about
The comedy centres on the bottom-of-the-barrel progress of English teacher Aine as she recovers from what she describes as a “teeny little nervous breakdown”. She works at a foreign language school as she tries to pull her life back together, while her sister circles her life a worried mother hen with a mortality obsession.
She’s also managed to become a beacon and guiding light for her students, who have all got their own what next crisis to face in the messed-up modern world. Expect as much pathos as punch-lines and add this one to your must-watch list, because it sounds like it’s going to be the next big comedy hit of 2019.
You can follow Aisling Bea on her official Twitter page at twitter.com/WeeMissBea and find out more about the comic, actress and writer on her website at www.aislingbea.com.
About the production
In addition, addition, addition to writings, starring and thinking up the story of This Way Up, Aisling Bea is also one of three executive producers alongside Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford at Merman. Alex Winckler (My Mad Fat Diary) is the director for the series, and Gavin O’Grady producer. Merman was also responsible for the breakaway hit Catastrophe and you can keep tabs on them at www.hellomerman.com/work/.
This Way Up Channel 4 trailer
It’s a short trailer, but it does a good job of setting the tone for the show. It also teases a possible theme tune and shows off some of the other members of the cast.
