Sky inks first-look deal with Romesh Ranganathan’s Ranga Bee
Sky Studios has signed a first-look script deal with award-winning comedy and entertainment indie Ranga Bee.
Founded by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and EMMY-winning exec producer and director Benjamin Green, Ranga Bee will work directly with Sky Studios to develop new projects for Sky.
Co-developed projects will be Exec Produced by Jon Mountague, Director of Comedy at Sky Studios. The development funding will also enable Ranga Bee to attract talent to work on the projects. The series will then be by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios, which will likely see them debut in the US on NBC streaming service Peacock.
Ranga Bee already has a strong relationship with Sky following two seasons of The Reluctant Landlord, a semi-autobiographical sitcom in which Romesh inherits a pub he doesn’t really want, and Romesh Presents, a series of 10 shorts for new and emerging comedy talent on Sky One. Romesh is also a regular panellist on Sky One’s A League of Their Own.
Gary Davey, CEO of Sky Studios, says: “Romesh has been entertaining Sky customers for years with his unique style of humour and I couldn’t be more excited about this new deal with Romesh, Ben and the whole Ranga Bee team. The Reluctant Landlord is a brilliant show and I look forward to seeing what new scripted comedies we can produce together.”
Romesh and Benjamin Green add: “We set up Ranga Bee to make great comedy shows with both new and established talent and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Sky Studios to help further that ambition. We look forward to making innovative and genuinely funny comedy and comedy dramas together. This is also a great opportunity for Romesh to pretend to support other talent.”