Michael Brandon, the American actor who co-starred with Glynis Barber in 80s detective drama Dempsey and Makepeace, has joined the cast of new ITV1 comedy drama Dead Man Weds, which features Johnny Vegas as the chief reporter of a local newspaper in a rural Lancashire town.
He will play Chuck, the boss of an American factory, Geneus, suspected of conducting potentially dangerous genetic experiments in the fictional Lancashire town of Fogborrow.
The former Dempsey and Makepeace star is rarely seen on UK TV these days, with recent appearances including supporting roles in the biopic Hawking and The Catherine Tate Show, both for BBC2. But he was recently seen on the London stage as Jerry Springer, in Jerry Springer - the Opera.
Dead Man Weds stars Vegas as Lewis Donat, a lazy reporter on the Fogborrow Advertiser and News, who is forced out of his lethargy when new editor Gordon Garden, played by Phoenix Nights co-writer and co-star Dave Spikey, starts poking around in the Geneus story.
The comedy drama, which has just gone into production in Manchester, also co-stars Keith Barron as the local mayor and owner of the Fogborrow Advertiser.
Nicola Stephenson plays Donna, a tour operator and Donat's old flame, and Tim Healy has taken the role of landlord of the local pub.
A personal rivalry develops between Donat and Garden when the latter takes a shine to Donna.
Dead Man Weds has been written by Spikey and is being made by Red, the independent production company behind The Second Coming and Queer As Folk.
The 30-minute, six part comedy drama is being produced by Sarah Smith, who is also co-directing with Mark Elliott.
Red founder Nicola Shindler is executive producing Dead Man Weds, which was commissioned by ITV controller of comedy Sioned Wiliam.
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