New comedy pilot Britney is streaming on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer now.
Written by and starring Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson, Britney is based on the pair’s sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show.
It tells the true story of an extraordinary friendship amidst the reality of living with a brain tumour diagnosis – the tumour is fondly named Britney after the one and only icon.
Also on the cast are Omid Djalili as Charly’s doctor, Dr Pellis, Tony Gardner as Charly’s dad, Bobby and Lia Willams as Charly’s mum, Janet.
A full teaser shares: “Charly and Ellen have been best friends ever since a shared moment of transformational theatre in Year 8 Drama Club. 10 years on, Charly is leaving New York and a dubious career in Broadway leafleting to visit Ellen back in their home village of Cumwell.
“Neither of them can wait to relive the glory days of their friendship: a non-stop rom-com of hair crimping, MmmBop and an unhealthy level of co-dependence. But Ellen soon discovers that Charly isn’t planning on moving back permanently, crushing the dream they’d always shared of living in London together.
“Now at odds and no longer as inseparable as they’d imagined, Charly discovers that her mysterious lack of periods is a result of something much bigger and scarier. Their world is suddenly tipped upside down as they fight to make sure their friendship rom-com has a happy ending.”
Britney is streaming now on BBC Three & BBC iPlayer here. It will air on TV at 11:35PM on BBC One on Tuesday 30 November.
Speaking ahead of the pilot’s debut, Charly shared: “Britney is the very true and very funny story of when I was diagnosed with a large pituitary adenoma (a type of brain tumour), and I moved back to my tiny childhood village to deal with it. Luckily, my best friend Ellen was nearby so we were able to face it as a duo.”
Ellen revealed: “Charly’s brain is so weird – even without the you-know-what – so she had a mad way of explaining stuff.
“Like how surreal it was to be told there was something in your brain you didn’t know was there that needs an operation to get rid of, she explained that to me as like finding out there was a small Welsh town in your brain, whose inhabitants are really pissed off they’re about to be evicted.
“And every time that happened I was thinking ‘this should be a show; how else will we monetise the experience?’”
And as for how the name Britney came about, Ellen explained “It’s easier than always referring to it as ‘that enormous tumour resting life threateningly close to your carotid artery.”
Added Charly: “Also because a bad bitch brain like mine could only house a bad bitch tumour and Britney is the baddest bitch in pop.”
More on: BBC iPlayerBBC Three
