David Walliams to star in new Gold comedy Sandylands

David Walliams is to star in new Gold comedy show \'Sandylands\'.

UKTV has commissioned the three-part series which will follow 27-year-old Emily Verma - played by Natalie Dew, who starred in the West End version of \'Bend It Like Beckham\' - who has escaped her seaside hometown to start a new life in London.

Emily\'s semi-estranged father Les Vegas - portrayed by Sanjeev Bhaskar - is famous in their hometown as an arcade owner and self-proclaimed \'King of the Strip\' and when Sandylands makes the news after a blood-splattered pedalo is washed ashore after last being hired by Les she has to make a reluctant trip home.

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Emily soon discovers that her dad Les is "lost at sea" and she has to put his affairs in order, organise his memorial and sell her family home all whilst she is being watched by a mysterious one-eyed man who works for the life insurance company that\'s due to pay out over Les\' demise.

The series has been written by Martin Collins and Alex Finch and is being directed by Michael Cumming with King Bert Productions producing.

Walliams - whose role is not yet know - Bhaskar and Dew will be joined in the cast by \'The Inbetweeners\' star Simon Bird, former \'Coronation Street\' actress Sophie Thompson, \'Scarborough\' star Harriet Webb, \'Our Girl\' actor Hamza Jeetooa and Line of Duty\'s

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Craig Parkinson.

Announcing the project, UKTV\'s Head of Scripted Peter Thornton -who commissioned the series alongside UKTV\'s Director of Commissioning Richard Watsham and UKTV\'s Genre General Manager for Comedy and Entertainment Steve North - said: "We\'re thrilled to be working with the hugely talented team at King Bert on this highly original three-parter. As a father/daughter relationship comedy with a twist, this series breaks more ground for comedy originations on Gold. The quality of the cast is a testament to the range of brilliantly drawn characters that Alex and Martin have created and we\'re very much looking forward to diving into the mysterious waters swirling around Sandylands."

Filming on the project starts later in September.