BBC AMERICA WARMS UP FOR LONDON OLYMPICS WITH BRITISH HIT COMEDY "TWENTY TWELVE" STARRING HUGH BONNEVILLE

New York - Thursday, April 19, 2012 - As BBC AMERICA warms up for the London Olympics, the actors and creators of some of Britain's most iconic comedies come together for a new comedy, Twenty Twelve, premiering in the US in June as part of BBC AMERICA's Saturday night comedy block the Ministry of Laughs. Starring Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Jessica Hynes (Spaced), Olivia Colman (Peep Show), Amelia Bullmore (I'm Alan Partridge), Vincent Franklin (The Thick of It), and Karl Theobald (Green Wing) and narrated by David Tennant (The Spies of Warsaw, Doctor Who) - the documentary style comedy follows the team responsible for delivering the biggest show on earth: the London Olympics. Twenty Twelve premieres Saturday, June 30 as part of the Ministry of Laughs.

From executive producer Jon Plowman (The Office, Extras, Absolutely Fabulous) and writer John Morton (People Like Us), Twenty Twelve (12 x 30) is a BBC production, distributed by BBC Worldwide and has been acquired by BBC AMERICA.

The British comedy series is about the people paddling hard beneath the water to make the Olympics happen in London in 2012. They have 9 billion pounds to spend and plenty of time before the deadline; what can possibly go wrong? What to do when the much-vaunted wind turbines won't turn because there's no wind and how to cope with athletes who want to help but are just too dull. It's all in a day's work for the men and women whose job it is to stage the greatest sporting event in the world.

BBC AMERICA's Saturday night comedy block, the Ministry of Laughs, features a raft of award-winning, irreverent and inventive comedies including The Graham Norton Show, The Thick of It, Katy Brand's Big Ass Show, The Inbetweeners, Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton, Come Fly With Me, Outnumbered and Friday Night Dinner.

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 77 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.