Hugh Bonneville is to reprise his role as Ian Fletcher from hit comedies Twenty Twelve and W1A for a new series in which the former BBC and London Games executive joins the board responsible for delivering the 2026 world cup.
In the six-part Twenty Twenty Six, Fletcher is appointed as Director of Integrity to the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team in Miami.
Hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, the competition will see 48 countries taking part across 16 venues thousands of miles apart across the whole of North America; what could possibly go wrong?
Joining Bonneville in the cast are Nick Blood, Chelsey Crisp, Paulo Costanzo, Stephen Kunken, Jimena Larraguivel, Alexis Michalik and Belinda Stewart-Wilson.
The show’s writer and director John Morton said: “I wasn’t sure what Ian Fletcher had been up to recently.
“The last I heard he was still recovering from a serious Mindfulness Course in Somerset. So, it’s great to hear that he’s made it back and has re-emerged in his natural habitat at the centre of a well-known institution, but now on the world stage and facing his biggest opportunity yet to get things right.
“I’m thrilled and hugely grateful to the BBC for giving me the chance to follow him again, this time all the way to Miami, and I literally can’t wait to see what happens.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, added: “We’ll miss Ian’s invaluable contribution to the BBC as Head of Values but how could he resist getting the call-up to be a part of one of the most expansive and ambitious sporting events in the world. We wish him, and the team, all the best.”
Nerys Evans, Creative Director, Scripted at series producers Expectation, said: “I’ve been a fan of John’s writing for such a long time, especially seeing the different challenges he creates for poor Ian Fletcher, so beautifully portrayed by Hugh Bonneville.
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating on Twenty Twenty Six, I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for Ian this time.”
The complete W1A boxset is available on BBC iPlayer.