Dave is airing a special one-off all-star comedy feature, We Are Not Alone, on Monday, November 28 at 9pm, written by Ben Willbond and Laurence Rickard of Ghosts who also star in it.
Alien beings known as the ‘Gu’un’ have taken over the world, but are struggling to govern a species as baffling as us humans.
The aliens clearly need help. And after they decide to run Britain from its geographical centre – Clitheroe – they hire a local ‘Human Liaison’ called Stewart Connelly (Declan Baxter), a hapless twentysomething from the council. So begins an uneasy alliance, as Stewart tries to coach his alien bosses – inept politician Trater (Vicki Pepperdine), tightly-wound soldier Gordan (Mike Wozniak) and clumsy underling Greggs (Joe Thomas) – on how they might run the country without inadvertently starting a civil war.
Soon Stewart attracts attention from the other side: Anti-Alien Resistance fighters who tap Stewart as their mole. Resistance leader Wade – the angriest Kiwi ever – has his incompetence tempered by slick ex- politician Caroline Grieves (Amanda Abbington), and Elodie (Georgia May Foote), the straight-talking owner of Stewart’s local pub who Stewart definitely doesn’t have a crush on.
Now working for both sides despite wanting neither job, Stewart’s efforts to boost Gu’un popularity go horribly awry – mostly due to Greggs being a complete liability. Stewart thinks Grieves is the key to brokering peace between humans and aliens. But when Grieves goes rogue, Stewart finds the future of the entire planet is at stake...and it’s all resting on his shoulders.
Monday, 28th November, 9pm, Dave
Read an interview with one of the stars, Mike Wozniak (pictured, second from right), below
How did you react when you first read We Are Not Alone?
I loved it! I'm a big fan of everything Larry and Ben produce. It's nice to see them going down the sci-fi-aliens route. There's a bit of satire in there, too. I really like the way they do satire. They don't knock you about the head with it.
Was the character of Gordan also a draw for you?
Absolutely. I like to play the straight man, the earnest person who wants to be taken seriously. Playing the brutal enforcer, there's always more fun to be had. It's been a great fit for me. So this character really appealed.
What are Gordoan’s other main characteristics?
He doesn't feel like he's been taken as seriously as he should have been over the years. He doesn't feel he's had full credit for what he has achieved. He feels he really could have achieved much more if actually people had just given him the proper chance, instead of playing politics or trying to tick boxes. He's one of those. But actually he's not as competent as he thinks he is. He's already at very high risk of The Peter Principle. Gordan has already been promoted to the point of incompetence. But because he's in charge, he's getting away with it. If he was promoted to the level that he thinks he should be, he'd be in a great deal of trouble, and so would the whole planet!
Are the aliens a great way of examining the foibles of the human race?
Definitely. If you've got alien characters, they are the ultimate new guys in the office. So it's a really handy tool to explain whatever you want to explain about anything. In this case, the thing you're trying to explain is the human race. So the canvas is incredibly broad. It's a great way in. The three aliens are obviously appalled or disappointed by what the human race does, or they're just baffled by our stupidity. But they do a lot of the same things themselves, which in and of itself, is quite human. Aliens have got everything in common with the humans. They say, “I can't believe how poorly trained these guys are for their jobs,” not considering how poorly trained they are, too. They complain about human technology, but they can't get the internet to work and their guns don't function properly. I love that. There’s a lovely hypocrisy running through the whole thing. We’re all guilty of that, whether it's with another race, another nation, or the family who lives next door.
What stands out about Laurence and Ben’s writing?
There's a confidence to it. They're such seasoned pros that if they're writing a character like Greggs or Trater or Gordan, they understand how that's going to come across on the screen. They understand how many steps there are from the page to an audience watching at home. They have the confidence to say, "We have built this character enough. It's a real, fully-formed character now. So whatever situation we might find ourselves in, we can parachute them in and just just let them go.” So it all becomes very natural.
How have you found it wearing the alien makeup?
It's actually comfortable to the point that you usually forget it’s on. You become quite irritating to the make-up team because you're eating a bacon sandwich or drinking a cup of tea or scratching your nose, all the while forgetting what you might have done to something that has taken three hours of work. “Oh, sorry. I forgot I had the make-up on.”
Will We Are Not Alone also serve up a very welcome sense of escapism in these hard times?
Totally. While there are satirical elements, it's also very, very silly and very warm in places as well. It has characters that I think the audience will really come to care for and get worried about when they're in peril. This show has got genuine heart and soul.
Mike Wozniak Interview supplied by UKTV.
