David Farnor | On 01, Aug 2017

BBC Three will air Australian comedy Ronny Chieng: International Student. The seven-part series stars Ronny Chieng, the comedian known around the world for his monologues on America’s The Daily Show.

Chieng plays himself in the series, based on his life and experiences as an international university student living and studying in Australia. Arriving Melbourne, Ronny is smart, driven and competitive, so he’d be the perfect law student – if he actually wanted to be a lawyer.

Blunt, barbed and not afraid to cut to the point, it’s not long before Ronny is at odds with most of the people on campus – from the binge drinking Australians, to the Mah-jong playing Asians or the rich students who, in Ronnie’s words, dress like they’re captaining a yacht.

Over the course of the series, we follow Ronny across his first semester, from day one on campus to his final exam. Along the way he’ll meet fellow law student Asher Angus (Molly Daniels), the eternal optimist from small town Australia who becomes Ronny’s one true ally; Professor Dale (Anthony Morgan), the quietly insane lecturer who runs each class like a cage fight; and Craig Cooper (Patch May), the brash American student who crash lands in Ronny’s dorm and turns it into the frat house from hell. All while Ronny fields FaceTime calls from his excitable, shouty mum who dishes out wisdom to her nonplussed son and gets plenty back in return.

Ronny Chieng: International Student is a Sticky Pictures production, with funding from ABC TV, Screen Australia, Film Victoria and Comedy Central (US). It was acquired by BBC Three from ABC Commercial.

Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, says: “Ronny Chieng is a welcome new addition to BBC Three. He’s a comedy genius and, in Ronny Chieng: International Student, he has the perfect vehicle for his talents. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this series to the UK.”

Sue Deeks, BBC Head of Programme Acquisition says: “This series is laugh-out-loud funny and Ronny Chieng is such an exciting comedy talent – we are so looking forward to introducing the show to BBC Three viewers.”

It will air on BBC Three later this year.

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