TV crews and celebrities will be out and about in Weston over the next few weeks as filming for the next series of Sandyland begins.
Filming for the new series, which is produced by King Bert Productions, began yesterday (Monday), with the crew setting up a base on the Beach Lawns. Actors from the show were also spotted in Sand Bay and outside Club Tabu, in the Boulevard.
UKTV has confirmed the popular sitcom, which was first screened in March last year, has been re-commissioned for a second series on comedy channel Gold.
More: Weston-filmed comedy Sandlands airs on Gold.
Sanjeev Bhaskar is returning - as the one-and-only Les Vegas - along with Natalie Dew as Emily Verma.
Other returning cast members include David Walliams and Sophie Thompson as oddball next door neighbours Derek and Jeannie Swallows; Simon Bird as police officer Nathan Wild; Craig Parkinson as local nightclub owner Terry Chino; and Harriet Webb as Tina Taylor.
This series also welcomes Tracy-Ann Oberman (of Friday Night Dinner and Toast Of London) as Donna Vegas - Emily’s estranged mother and diva extraordinaire.
Writers Martin Collins and Alex Finch said: “We are so excited to be back in Sandylands and working with the brilliant team at UKTV.
"We can't wait for everyone to see what we've got in store for our incredible cast and are absolutely delighted to be welcoming some amazing new faces on a return trip to the beautiful British seaside.”
More: Filming for Gold sitcom Sandylands begins.
Series one of Sandylands closed on Les (Bhaskar) once again taking to the high seas in a pedalo, this time accompanied by his long-suffering daughter Emily (Dew), in a bid to escape the clutches of the vindictive and mysterious One Eyed Man, played by Hugh Bonneville.
After what feels like an eternity at sea, series two sees the heroic but law-breaking duo marooned on a beach which turns out to be Sandylands.
A relieved Les and Emily return home only to discover Emily’s estranged mother Donna Vegas (Oberman), is back in town.
Sandylands is commissioned for UKTV by Pete Thornton.
He said: “Sandylands is a special place for me, and I’m really pleased to finally be returning to it after the long winter months of lockdown.
“Series one introduced us to a clutch of highly original characters played by an extraordinarily talented cast, and I know the Gold audience will be looking forward to their further adventures, as imagined by two of our most original comic minds, Alex Finch and Martin Collins.”
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