DISNEY+ ANNOUNCE CASTING AS PRODUCTION BEGINS ON UK ORIGINAL COMEDY SERIES "EXTRAORDINARY"

(Wednesday 1st December 2021) The Walt Disney Company EMEA today announces production has begun on EXTRAORDINARY, a Sid Gentle Films original comedy for Disney+. Written by debut screenwriter Emma Moran, the 8 x 25 minute comedy series will film around London.

EXTRAORDINARY follows Jen, a young, painfully self-aware woman who lives in a world where everyone has a superpower... except her. From BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Peabody Award-winning production company Sid Gentle Films, this is a fresh, innovative comedy about being young and finding your feet in a confusing world, when all you'll ever be is 'ordinary'. EXTRAORDINARY is a celebration of the anti-superhero, giving people permission to embrace their general okay-ness.

Originally announced in April as one of the first UK original series on Disney+ commissioned under the Star brand, the main cast, all rising young UK talent, can also now been confirmed.

Máiréad Tyers plays Jen

Máiréad graduated from RADA in 2020 and on leaving drama school, Sir Kenneth Branagh cast Máiréad in his feature film Belfast and she then went on to work on Light in the Darkness for BBC Radio, followed by a guest role in the television series Tell Me Everything for ITV.

Jen is a late bloomer who's watched everyone around her get a power while still waiting on her own. She's on a quest to get one and bounces between hope and despair on a daily basis. An underachiever in every other aspect of her life, Jen is pinning all her hopes on her elusive power.

Sofia Oxenham plays Carrie

Sofia was one of the lead regulars in the final season of Poldark and recently starred as a regular in Cursed (Netflix) and Soulmates for AMC/Amazon.

Carrie is Jen's best friend and flatmate. Poor, sweet Carrie is a bit of a wallflower, not helped by her power to channel the dead who often overshadow her. If Jen's the hero, Carrie is the trusty sidekick.

Bilal Hasna plays Kash

Bilal is an exciting newcomer who recently graduated from Cambridge University. His screen credits include the BBC's Teen Monologues series and drama series Screw for Channel 4.

Kash is Carrie's long-term boyfriend. He has the power to reverse time, but only by a few minutes. Kash spends his days chasing ever more unrealistic dreams, often inspired by his romantic nostalgia for all things superhero.

Jen and Carrie acquire an unexpected new flatmate who is played by Luke Rollason.

Luke Rollason is an actor and comedian who has had success performing his own surreal brand of physical comedy on the live circuit for many years, performing sell-out solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre. EXTRAORDINARY is Luke's first major TV role and he will also be appearing in upcoming STARZ series Becoming Elizabeth.

Additional cast announced today include;

Siobhán McSweeney plays Mary

Siobhán is best known for playing Sister Michael in Channel 4's Derry Girls and hosting The Great Pottery Throwdown for the channel. Other TV credits include; Anthony, The Fall and No Offence. Film roles include; Extra Ordinary, The Wind that Shakes the Barley and Alice in Wonderland: Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Mary is Jen's mum. Mary can technically control technology but can barely work her own smartphone. Mary has the best of intentions when it comes to helping Jen, but her motherly love is often expressed via passive aggressive meddling.

Safia Oakley-Green plays Andy

Safia will soon be seen as the lead in the independent feature, The Origin, produced by Oliver Kassman which is her first professional credit. She recently wrapped filming on The Colour Room, alongside Phoebe Dynevor and Matthew Goode and will soon be seen starring in Sherwood alongside Lesley Manville for BBC.

Andy is Jen's younger half-sister and the golden child of the family. Talented and popular, Jen can't help but help but feel in constant competition with her cocky sibling.

Robbie Gee plays Ian

Robbie is about to star as the lead in a new feature film, Boxing Day, due to be released in December. He also starred alongside Walk Like a Panther co-star Jason Fleming in Guy Ritchie's Snatch. On television, Robbie was recently seen in highly acclaimed Amazon/BBC limited series Small Axe by Steve McQueen.

Ian is Andy's dad and Mary's second husband. Ian has the power to physically feel the emotions of others which makes him deeply, irritatingly empathetic.

Series creator and lead writer, Emma Moran, is a stand-out debut writer with an utterly distinctive voice. Emma was the winner of the first Thousand Stories competition, a partnership between Charles Dawson (Thousand Films scheme) and Sid Gentle Films.

Directors for the series are Toby MacDonald (Ragdoll, Old Boys, Bounty Hunters) and Jennifer Sheridan (The Snow Spider, Rose - A Love Story, Rules of the Game).

Nadira Amrani, who recently made her TV directorial debut with an episode of Mincemeat for Channel 4's 'On the Edge' collection, will direct one episode.

EXTRAORDINARY is executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris and Charles Dawson for Sid Gentle Films and is produced by Charlie Palmer. The series was commissioned by Liam Keelan, Vice President Original Productions and Johanna Devereaux, Director of Scripted for Disney+.

Disney+ will be creating 60 local productions by 2024 as it continues to work with outstanding creators and premium producers as part of the company's commitment to source, develop and produce original productions in Europe.

ENDS

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. And through Star, it offers the latest from 20th Century Studios, Disney Television Studios, FX, Searchlight Pictures, and more. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.

About SID GENTLE FILMS LTD.

Sid Gentle Films Ltd. was founded by Sally Woodward Gentle in 2013 along with Lee Morris and Henrietta Colvin with a focus to develop and produce innovative, original and ambitious television drama and feature films. Credits to date include: BAFTA nominated THE DURRELLS for ITV and Masterpiece, the highly acclaimed SS-GB for the BBC, Neil Gaiman's LIKELY STORIES for Sky, the BAFTA and Peabody winning and Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) nominated KILLING EVE for BBC AMERICA and RAGDOLL, which is currently playing in the US on AMC and is shortly to transmit in the UK on Alibi channel. Cash Carraway's RAIN DOGS, for the BBC and starring Daisy May Cooper, is currently in pre-production and is due to be filmed at the start of 2022. Shows in development include: GINGER SNAPS and TAKING UP SPACE (BBC).

NOTES TO EDITORS

Overview of UK originals series on Disney+:

Nautilus

· Scripted action-adventure series. 10 episodes / 50 minutes. James Dormer / Seven Stories / Moonriver TV

· The ten-part epic live-action series tells the never before told origin story of Verne's most iconic character, Captain Nemo, and his legendary submarine, The Nautilus

· "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" by Jules Verne was published in 1871

· The original 1954 film adaptation is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK & Ireland

Save Our Squad

· Transformational factual entertainment series. 6 episodes / 35 minutes. David Beckham / Twenty Twenty / Studio 99

· David Beckham mentors a struggling young grassroots football side, taking these young players, their coach, and their community on an uplifting, transformative journey of a lifetime.  

The Ballad of Renegade Nell

· Fantasy action /adventure. 8 episodes / 45 minutes. Sally Wainwright / Lookout Point

· When Nell Jackson is framed for murder, she's forced into a life of highway robbery. Aided by a plucky little spirit called Billy Blind, Nell realises that fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason.  

Culprits

· Crime drama. 8 episodes / 45 minutes. J Blakeson / Stephen Garrett / Character 7

· A darkly funny, whip-smart series about the aftermath of a heist. The crew have gone their separate ways but someone is coming after them one by one.

· Starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

Extraordinary

· Comedy. 8 episodes / 25 minutes. Emma Moran / Sid Gentle Films

· Meet Jen. She lives in a world where everyone has a superpower. Everyone except her. Which is just sodding great. This is a fresh, innovative comedy about being young and struggling to find your place in the world when all you'll ever be is 'ordinary.'  

Wedding Season

· Romantic comedy / crime drama. 8 episodes. Oliver Lyttelton / Dancing Ledge Productions / Jax Media

· A genre-busting escapist romance about two people who shouldn't be together, but who can't stay away from one another. The series follows Katie, a picture-perfect bride who we meet on her wedding day surrounded by the dead bodies of her new husband and every member of his family.

· Starring Rosa Salazar