James R | On 03, Oct 2016

Sky is lining up a series of comedy shorts for Halloween.

The eight spooky shorts will be broadcast this autumn on Sky Arts, but will premiere first on-demand.

They will feature some the UK’s best comedians, including Sunday Night at the Palladium and Funny Old Week host Jason Manford and stand up comedian Ross Noble, who also takes on his first film directing role.

Comedic tales of ghosts and ghouls will also be penned by Matt Holness (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace), Jamie Demetriou (Rovers), Jayde Adams (2016 Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominee), Steen Raskopoulos (Top Coppers), Guz Khan (BBC Asian Network) and Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Elevenish).

Sky’s Head of Comedy, Jon Montague, comments: “Sky Comedy is literally thrilled (and a little bit frightened) to be working with such scarily talented comic voices on our Halloween/Horror season on demand. To attract talent as diverse as Jason Manford to Guz Khan, Ross Noble to Kiri Pritchard-McLean, and the legendary Matt Holness to hotshots Jayde Adams, Jamie Demetriou and Steen Raskopoulos is a ringing endorsement for our Comedy Shorts. They have proved to be such a hit with customers, we’re giving them more. Plenty of treats, and one or two tricks.”

All eight shorts will be available to stream from Friday 21st October for Sky customers – with non-Sky customers able to watch them online via NOW, Sky’s contract-free VOD service, for £6.99 a month.

Here’s the full line-up:

Jayde Adams’ Horror: Bloody Tracy

Why is it that paranormal phenomena only occur in creepy-looking buildings? Why are ghosts always in conveniently scary places, like at the ends of beds? The top of stairs? If ghosts are real, why don’t they appear in normal places? Like supermarkets. Meet Tracy – or in actual fact ‘Bloody Tracy’ – the supermarket ghost.

Starring: Jayde Adams, Mark Davidson, Joe Davies, Gabby Best, Spencer Jones

Jamie Demetriou’s Horror: Oh God

A contemporary, Kaufman-esque take on a classic sci-fi/horror premise – body mutation. Oh God is a surreal, harrowing story set in a mundane blueish-grey world of a normal lad in his mid-to-late 20s who is gradually, but unequivocally, turning into a car.

Starring: Jamie Demetriou, Ben Ashenden, Ellie White, Natasia Demetriou, Arnab Chandra, Liam Williams

Matt Holness’ Horror: Smutch

Oswin Thaddeus Tow, an embittered middle-aged writer, is haunted by a ‘ghost writer’ in this mini-Hammer/Amicus horror film parody.

Starring: Matt Holness, Jim Howick, Clive Merrison

Guz Khan’s Horror: Frightbusters

Stoned conspiracy theorists, Bongs (Guz Khan) and Ali (Sunil Patel), appear on a paranormal YouTube show to reveal their encounters with the paranormal and uncover the secret white demonic elite ruling the world.

Starring: Guz Khan, Alex Macqueen, Sunil Patel, Tom Palme

Jason Manford’s Horror: That’s the Spirit

The tale of two teenagers who play with a Ouija board to contact the dead. But when their parents catch them, the whole family are in for a shock.

Starring: Jason Manford, Rebecca Callard, Imogen Gurney, Brenock O’Connor

Ross Noble’s Horror: The Catchment

A couple move into a house to be in the catchment area of a good school for their unborn children. But… there’s a catch.

Starring: Ross Noble, Shauna Macdonald, Cariad Lloyd, Richard Herring, Suki Webster

Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s Horror – I’ve Got Your Number

Everyone has accidentally sent a text messages to the wrong person and everyone has received a message that wasn’t meant for them. Not everyone has replied to that message, just for a laugh. Kiri has though. Several times a day she chats to a complete stranger. But slowly what started as a bit of fun takes a very sinister turn.

Starring: Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Jordan Brookes, Paul G Raymond

Steen Raskopoulos’s Horror: Scare BnB

Babs (Sara Pascoe) and Elliot (Steen Raskopoulos) rent out a Scare BnB haunted house for horror fans looking for thrills. But when a ghost sceptic (John Kearns) turns up determined not to be spooked, threatening their perfect 5 star rating, it’s time to call in the real resident ghosts (Nish Kumar, Susie Youssef) to scare him.

Starring: Steen Raskopoulos, Sara Pascoe, Nish Kumar, Susie Youssef, John Kearns

Add to Watchlist