Jack Dee is starring in a new BBC comedy – about a disillusioned, world-weary comedian. The six-part series, Lead Balloon, has echoes of the US show Curb Your Enthusiasm and was devised and co-written by Dee. Dee stars as the successful but disenchanted stand-up comedian Rick Spleen in the BBC4 show. The fictional comic spends too much time hosting corporate events such as The Heating and Ventilation Awards. But the money from the unglamorous gigs allows him to concentrate on his first love, making TV commercials. The show features Rick and his wife Mel, played by Raquel Cassidy, a showbiz agent who looks after C-list celebrities. There is also the couple’s 17-year-old daughter Sam, “the world’s least motivated human being”, played by Antonia Campbell-Hughes, and Magda, Rick’s eastern European lodger and daily help. BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said: “We are in the throes of commissioning what looks like a great series for us.”It’s not quite Jack Dee playing himself. His character is much less successful than the real Jack. “But it’s a close-run thing to his life. It’s the story of a family man, his friends and the encounters that he has. Lead Balloon will be shown on BBC4 in the autumn. [Source - PA MSN Entertainment News]

Jack Dee is starring in a new BBC comedy – about a disillusioned, world-weary comedian. The six-part series, Lead Balloon, has echoes of the US show Curb Your Enthusiasm and was devised and co-written by Dee. Dee stars as the successful but disenchanted stand-up comedian Rick Spleen in the BBC4 show. The fictional comic spends too much time hosting corporate events such as The Heating and Ventilation Awards. But the money from the unglamorous gigs allows him to concentrate on his first love, making TV commercials. The show features Rick and his wife Mel, played by Raquel Cassidy, a showbiz agent who looks after C-list celebrities. There is also the couple’s 17-year-old daughter Sam, “the world’s least motivated human being”, played by Antonia Campbell-Hughes, and Magda, Rick’s eastern European lodger and daily help. BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said: “We are in the throes of commissioning what looks like a great series for us.”It’s not quite Jack Dee playing himself. His character is much less successful than the real Jack. “But it’s a close-run thing to his life. It’s the story of a family man, his friends and the encounters that he has. Lead Balloon will be shown on BBC4 in the autumn. [Source - PA MSN Entertainment News]