Brothers Sam and Teddy Leifer are behind a new BBC Three sitcom.
Co-written and directed by Sam and produced by Teddy, Brave Young Men is about two guys who prevent global disasters with the help of a time-travelling civil servant.
Piloted last Sunday, the show, which has been dubbed a light-hearted version of US classic Quantum Leap, has been made by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow Productions company.
Sam, 28, tells People: “I would describe the two main characters as nebbuchs, who find themselves in the role of ‘Caretakers of the World, Brighton and Hove division’.
“It sounds weird when I describe it but that’s because it is. It’s quite a peculiar premise for a sitcom.” A freelance writer and director, Sam’s credits include Stuck for BBC Four and the online sitcom Where Are The Joneses? He has also written for the recent series of ITV’s Moving Wallpaper. His younger brother, Teddy, 25, runs Rise films — the company behind We Are Together, one of the most celebrated feature documentaries in recent years.
He says: “I have really enjoyed working with Sam. I think Brave Young Men is fairly broad-ranging in its appeal but hopefully it will appeal to younger people.”
He adds: “I don’t think television has ever been an easy environment, with commercial broadcasting so stretched, but it is difficult at the moment. You need a bit of luck and tenacity.”
Sam lives in Kilburn, north London, while Teddy lives in Belsize Park. The pair have plans to create a sitcom based on a dysfunctional north London Jewish family. Somehow I doubt they will be short of case studies.
Watch the Brave Young Men trailer at www.babycow.co.uk/BYMtrail.html