BBC crime sitcom handed spin-off show by bosses – three months after series ended
THE duo behind Bravo Two Charlies are getting another BBC show just months after the original series wrapped for good.
North Wales traffic cops Dennis Babb (Martin Trenaman) and Lee Cushion (Rhys Ap Trefor) will be reunited for a spin-off series to air on BBC Radio Wales.
Penned by Trenaman and Matt Leys, the four-part series has a working title of The Abergele Files, according to a report in British Comedy Guide.
The useless cops will come together again with their “years of inexperience” to work as private investigators in the same North Wales area as Bravo Two Charlies, according to Trenaman.
“It’s the same North Wales setting, the Bravo cinematic universe continuing” Leys told BCG of the radio show. “With the odd mention of characters from Bravo, which is nice, keeping the sense of the world carrying on. But it’s new and very much its own thing.”
Trenaman added: “We want to bring the listeners of Bravo with us, so it’s got that Bravo feel, the sort of daft cases that they get involved in. These are not your standard cosy crime mysteries.”
The actor explained they had wanted Bravo Two Charlies to run for a sixth season, but called it a day on the radio sitcom with its last episode airing around Christmas last year.
“We wanted to park Bravo Two Charlies because we had a body of work that we were proud of and we felt we’d hit the end of the road in terms of storylines” Trenaman explained.
“We asked BBC Radio Wales, who have been brilliant, if we could say goodbye in a two-parter and they agreed.
“But after discussions with them and our producer, Steve Doherty, we started thinking about a spin-off. Dennis is at retirement age, so what’s he going to do? Well, he’s still going to be sat next to Lee because he’s basically his [surrogate] dad.”
Leys explained that it was their affection for the hapless police officer that inspired them to base the spin-off on them.
“Dennis and Lee are the characters we loved the most. They’re the two that have got a life beyond,” he said.
“Every time they try parting, to do something separately, they end up drifting back together because Dennis needs Lee and Lee needs Dennis.”
Bravo Two Charlies had been developed for a TV pilot on the BBC in 2021, but it never took off.
The men are hoping the new series will help get Dennis and Lee onto TV screens.
“Our ambition needs to be to get this series as good as it can be, then hopefully get a second, so one step at a time. It would be lovely to get that Bravo universe on TV though,” Trenaman said.
Recording for The Abergele Files begins in the summer.