Henpocalypse! start date and cast for new BBC comedy from Caroline Moran

A brand new sitcom is on its way to BBC Two and iPlayer.

Written by Caroline Moran (Hullraisers, Raised by Wolves), Henpocalypse! is described as “a high-energy comedy romp, through the eyes of five women on the ultimate hen weekend, which goes very wrong leaving them in the ultimate fight for survival.”

A full teaser shares: “When bridezilla-to-be Zara’s hen-do is interrupted by the end of the world, she and her four fellow working-class West Midlander best mates wait out the breakdown of human civilisation in an isolated holiday cottage in Wales.

“Emerging from quarantine into the harsh new post-apocalyptic world, they find the male population has almost entirely wiped out and Britain is now a hellscape in which only the very fittest will survive.

“It’s inevitable on a hen do there’ll be fractious dynamics between friends so how will they come together to work out what to do with the male stripper, the only man who seems to have survived? Pitted against a group of radicalised Pilates instructors and using sex toys as spears against the enemy, will the dysfunctional friends survive in the harsh new world of societal breakdown?”

The cast will feature Elizabeth Berrington (The Responder, The Pact) who plays Zara’s formidable mother Bernadette, Lucie Shorthouse (We Are Lady Parts) as demanding bride Zara, Callie Cooke (Cheaters, Peacock) as put upon chief bridesmaid Shelly, Lauren O’Rourke (White Gold, Drifters) as conspiracy theorist beautician Veena, Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers, Everyone Else Burns) as one woman disaster area Jen and Ben McGregor (The Tuckers) will join the cast as entrepreneurial stripper Drew.

Henpocalypse! will start on Tuesday, 15 August, 2023 at 10PM on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Caroline Moran said: “I can’t bloody believe I am getting to make a sitcom for BBC Two! That’s pretty much all I’ve ever wanted in life.

“The nation is now officially invited to our never-ending post-apocalyptic hen do. I guarantee high drama, tons of jokes, massive surprises and lots of penis-themed pound shop tat!”

Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy at the BBC added: “What could be more hilariously nightmarish than a hen do that never ends?!

“Caroline has created a very funny show with an incredible collection of women at the heart of it. We’re incredibly excited to bring Henpocalypse! to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer viewers later next year.”