I’m not being funny or anything, but the creme de la creme of British sitcoms is coming back, and I’m dizzy with excitement.
The BBC spoof mockumentary shared universe kicked off in the lead up to 2012 with the titular… well, Twenty Twelve… ridiculing the broadcaster’s preparations for the London Olympics.
We were introduced to Hugh Boneville’s perpetually put-out Ian Fletcher, a BBC senior with increasingly niche job titles and the eternally ditzy publicity guru Siobhan (played by the inimitable Jessica Hynes), who, despite the odds and the incredulity of literally everyone around her, somehow manages to pull her mad schemes off.
The pair returned for my favourite of the lot, W1A, in 2014, aptly named after the postcode of the BBC’s London headquarters and takes a broader look at the absolute chaos perpetually at play at the flagship British network.
In W1A, newly minted Head of Values, Ian and BBC Brand Consultant Siobhan were joined by a new cast of characters who all forged their own legacy within the show.
I would call the trouble this ragtag group of BBC workers get into… unbelievable, but you need only look at the headlines to see that perhaps, they aren’t going far enough.
One storyline sees mayhem ensue when presenter Clare Balding is replaced by Carol Vorderman for the new big reality series – Britain’s Tastiest Village.
Another sees Siobhan unveil the BBC’s new logo – now with fewer letters.
Ian gets into hot water with a salary scandal, no-nonsense Anna Rampton (Sarah Parish) is vying for a promotion to the totally real job, Director of Better and, of course, several viral moments spin completely out of control (Kneesnight anyone?).
Not to mention, Ian and Anna putting the ‘excruciating’ into the phrase ‘excruciatingly awkward office romance’.
The amount of nonsensical one-liners and gags in this show that will cajole a cackle out of you is an absolute delight.
At one point, in a stroke of satirical genius that even The Onion would envy, Ian declares: ‘If ever there was an opportunity for the BBC to stand tall and make a big, bold statement about how much it values the idea of valuing values, then surely this is it.’
Siobhon reads the BBC to filth with her unfiltered analysis.
‘The thing with the BBC, in terms of branding, is, it’s really boring. It’s politics, questions, investigations, Malala… whatever.’
Every single character has their own comedic punch to bring to the prom table, with one of the very best being Hugh Skinner’s bumbling Will Humphries – Ian’s PA.
Eternally incapable of doing his job (unless by accident), and utterly besotted by fellow PA Izzy Gould (Ophelia Lovibond), who looks at Will as though he were a walking science experiment -he’s like a sweet puppy who definitely doesn’t deserve to be there.
But no one has the heart to chop and drop him (I certainly couldn’t!).
And that’s not even mentioning Jonathan Bailey, who is the charming eye-candy we all know and love him to be – and the third point of the PA love triangle.
W1A includes everything we know and love about British humour. The intense self-deprecation, the awkward dynamics you simply can’t look away from and the deadpan delivery of outlandish situations.
In a landscape where it feels like the BBC is batting off one scandal after another, the show has a timeless feel to it that translates perfectly to the now, even a decade later.
Which is why, even though we’re losing so many iconic characters in the new sequel, Twenty Twenty Six, (goodbye goodbye Siobhan, you were bigger than the whole sky), I’m hopeful that it will still be a joyride from start to finish.
With Ian Fletcher promoted to Director of Integrity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there’s an endless list of shenanigans he could get up to.
And, if you have yet to tune into Twenty Twelve and W1A, this is your sign to catch up before diving into the new series – you seriously won’t forget it.
Twenty Twelve and W1A are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Twenty Twenty Six premieres on BBC Two at 10pm on Wednesday, April 8, with all episodes on iPlayer at 6am.
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