PBS getting more 'Vicious' in 2015
Following a new Christmas Day special this coming December on PBS, Freddie Thornhill and Stuart Bixby are headed back to PBS in Summer 2015 for the second series of Vicious, the story of two aging partners who have lived together in their Covent Garden flat for 48 years. Vicious first premiered on PBS this past Summer bringing together two of the finest actors on Planet Earth, both very familiar to public television audiences, Sir’s Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. As series one ended, Freddie (McKellen) and Stuart (Jacobi) were having a party to celebrate their 49th anniversary. Their neighbor, Ash, accidentally tells Stuart’s mother Mildred (Hazel Douglas) about the party so Stuart decides that it is time he told her the truth about his relationship with Freddie. He does and she promptly faints, but who knows if she will actually remember Stuart’s “news”. In the meantime, Freddie has invited none other than Dame Judi Dench to the anniversary party, whom he knows thanks to a Smarties commercial they both did decades ago.
France de la Tour and Iwan Rheon are set to return for the second series as Violet and Ash, respectively, along with two old friends of Freddie and Stuart, Penelope (Marcia Warren) and Mason (Philip Voss). Vicious creator and executive producer, Gary Janetti, was EP for Will & Grace and has written for Family Guy. His desire to create a British sitcom stemmed from growing up watching “Britcom’s” on PBS. Prior to the series one premiere, Janetti spoke with Slate.com.
Look for the Vicious Christmas special on PBS, Christmas Day, and then follow the further adventures of Freddie and Stuart in Summer 2015 on PBS (and on ITV in the UK).
