Matt Berry’s new Victorian-era comedy detective series looks delightfully ridiculous

Toast of London. The IT Crowd. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. These are just a few of the sparklingly hilarious credits of BAFTA award-winning actor Matt Berry.

And the universe is spoiling us with the news that Berry, 44, is coming back to TV with a brand new six-part comedy series called Year of the Rabbit.

Airing on Channel 4, the show is “irreverently and profanely inspired by the unhinged chaos of Victorian-era London.”

Here’s the synopsis:

This brand new series follows Detective Inspector Rabbit (Berry), a hardened booze-hound who’s seen it all, and his new, hapless, by-the-books partner (Freddie Fox – Cucumber, Banana, Patrade’s End, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword). While they’re investigating a local murder, the lewd but insightful adoptive daughter (Susan Wokoma – Chewing Gum, Crazyhead, Porters) of the chief of police joins them, becoming the country’s first female officer. Together, the trio must fight crime while rubbing shoulders with street gangs, crooked politicians, Bulgarian princes, spiritualists, music hall stars and the Elephant Man.

Matt Berry said about the show: “I’m very much looking forward to working with Channel 4 again, and IFC for the first time, as I’m equally looking forward to stepping back in time to fight crime in the same significant year which bought us Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, The Elephant Man and of course Jack The Ripper.”

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Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, added: “Imagine The Sweeney in Victorian England and you’re getting close to the heady misguided machismo that runs rife in this series. It’s an amazing vehicle for Matt’s talents and together with Susan and Freddie and the wealth of talent off-camera, we are thrilled to have it on the channel.”

“Like everyone else in comedy, we have been trying to develop a Victorian era procedural cop show for years so between that and stalking Matt Berry since he was a guest star on Portlandia, we could not be more thrilled to partner with Channel 4 on this brilliantly funny period piece,” said IFC TV exec Christine Lubrano. 

Year of the Rabbit is set to begin shooting later this year and is expected to air in 2019.

(Images: Channel 4 / Year of the Rabbit / The IT Crowd)