Catherine Tate to star in David Walliams' sitcom

Catherine Tate has been added to the cast of David Walliams' new BBC One sitcom.

The actress, famed for playing disruptive pupil Lauren in her TV sketch show, will become a teacher in the forthcoming series Big School.

Also lined up to take roles in the six-part run, set in a secondary school, are Philip Glenister and Frances De La Tour. David - who created the series - will star as 40-something chemistry teacher Mr Church, while Catherine will play a new recruit to Greybridge School, French teacher Miss Postern.

Life On Mars actor Philip will play lothario gym teacher Mr Gunn, with Frances taking on the role of Ms Baron, the headteacher.

The programme was first announced last year, and filming will begin in the next few weeks.

Casting comes just days after it was announced David's former comedy partner, Matt Lucas, is to star in a silent comedy for BBC One.

BBC comedy boss Mark Freeland said: "It's an absolute privilege to work with such a brilliant cast and off-screen production team. Like my Latin GCSE, nothing can go wrong. At least that's what I thought at the time."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.