David Farnor | On 18, Feb 2021

Helena Bonham Carter and David Mitchell will star in Greg Davies’ The Cleaner, a new comedy for BBC One.

The series is based on the award-winning, long-running German series Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner) created by Ingrid Lausund. Written by and starring Davies, The Cleaner follows Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician with a very special field of work: as a crime scene cleaner responsible for the removal of any signs of death. Armed with chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags, Wicky removes the gruesome mess at the scene of the crime. When carrying out his duties, he stumbles across the strangest of people: from the victim’s relatives, employers, neighbours and acquaintances, to occasionally even the murderers themselves. And because he’s a sociable type, he sometimes gossips more than he cleans.

The impressive ensemble cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), David Mitchell (Upstart Crow, Back), Stephanie Cole (Still Open All Hours), Donald Sumpter (Game Of Thrones), Shobu Kapoor (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Ruth Madeley (Years And Years), Layton Williams (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie musical), Zita Sattar (Casualty), Georgie Glen (The Crown, Call The Midwife), Bill Skinner (Ted Lasso) and Esmonde Cole (Still So Awkward).

Davies says: “I’m thrilled that this remarkable collection of actors has agreed to appear next to me on screen. Scrubbing up blood in a hazmat suit in front of them will be a pleasure.”

Shane Allen, Commissioning Controller for BBC Comedy, adds: “Pinched myself when I saw all this comedy and acting royalty in one show. It’s all down to Greg’s well hewn scripts which take us in to different character worlds in surprising and funny ways each week as Wicky has a transformative effect on those he comes across. The Cleaner delivers on BBC One’s unique commitment to make UK comedy for a mainstream audience.”

The six-part series is produced by Studio Hamburg UK, and was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer for the BBC and Shane Allen, Commissioning Controller for BBC Comedy. From Studio Hamburg UK the executive producer is Vivien Muller-Rommel and the producer is Sam Ward. The director is Tom Marshall and the casting director is Tracey Gillham.

It will later on BBC One this year.

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