Written and produced by James Boughen, Follow the Rabbit is a brand new comedy series following Chris Relish – an amateur paranormal investigator and podcast-maker who is on a mission to prove the existence of supernatural forces after claiming he’s had a romantic experience with a ghost.
Each episode is presented as a new instalment of Chris’ self-made podcast as he investigates a strange new case each week. Chris meets and interviews subjects including a hoarder who believes a poltergeist is tidying her house, a farmer who claims he’s had a very close encounter with an alien, and a woman who says she’s got a tiny demon living in a biscuit tin.
Set in the fictional north east town of Kibble, the series stars comedian and actor Tom Lawrinson, Jo Enright (Life’s Too Short) and Steve Brody (The Office); as well as top comedy talent from the north east, including James Baxter (Alma’s Not Normal), Beth Mullen (After Life), Chelsea Halfpenny (Emmerdale), and Joby Mageean (BBC Laugh Lessons).
Follow the Rabbit airs weekly from 4 September 2024 on BBC Radio 4 and will also be available to stream on BBC Sounds. It was commissioned by Julia McKenzie.
The executive producers were Simon Mayhew Archer (This Country) and Michelle Farr-Scott (Avoidance). Follow The Rabbit was recorded and finished at The East Wing in Byker and was supported by North East Screen’s REACH fund.
MOTIF are based in Gateshead and were formed in 2020 by Managing Director James Craggs and Creative Director Tautvydas Baranauskas. Since starting, MOTIF has delivered short form scripted comedy for Channel 4 and BBC Three as well as becoming the first North East company to receive the full support for Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund for scripted comedy.
MOTIF also co-produced the eight-part unscripted series HD CUTZ and Croatia: Defining A Nation for FIFA+ and Aberdeen ‘83 – Once In A Lifetime for BBC Scotland. James Boughen is a writer and producer from Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees. His comedy journey began in 2011 when he met fellow Teessider Bob Mortimer, who gave him the opportunity to write for Shooting Stars. James went on to write material for other shows
including Russell Howard’s Good News, Mock the Week and CBBC’s Class Dismissed. He has had recent development roles with Motif Pictures and Romesh Ranganathan’s Ranga Bee Productions as is passionate about working with talent from the north east.
On creating the series, writer and producer James Boughen said:
“Being given the opportunity to bring this idea to life with such a talented regional cast has been so much fun. We can’t wait for people to hear the journey of Chris Relish – the paranormal investigator who is desperate to prove he lost his virginity to a ghost.”
MOTIF’s Managing Director James Craggs said:
“We’re delighted to have been able to deliver this original comedy for BBC Radio 4, a brilliant broadcaster with an unparalleled track record for backing original comedy.
“We gave ourselves a mandate as a company to support great North East voices like James Boughen when we started and to keep the production up here for Follow The Rabbit to work with experienced operators like The East Wing. Support from North East Screen made that possible.
“It’s also brilliant for us to work with really talented people from the North East and to get to hear native voices like Chelsea Halfpenny, James Baxter, Beth Mullen and Joby Mageean on a national broadcaster.”
Lisa Laws, Development Director North East Screen said:
“We’re thrilled to have been able to support Motif to develop and produce their first original scripted comedy for BBC Radio 4. Ambitious companies, like Motif, are the lifeblood of our region and it is great to see them working across a range of platforms to reach national audiences. They have pulled together an exceptional team of talent and we cannot wait for audiences across the UK to enjoy their latest story”.
