BBC orders Poynton's White Man Van comedy

BBC Three has ordered a six-part sitcom about a reluctant handyman, written by stand-up Adrian Poynton.

In White Van Man, Two Pints Of Lager star Will Mellor will play Ollie, an aspiring restaurateur whose dreams are dashed when his father suffers a heart attack and he has to take over the family painting and decorating business. Clive Mantle will play the father.

The series will be shot with a single camera, documentary-style, with no laughter track, and filming starts in the summer.

Executive producer Saurabh Kakkar said: ‘The show has a kind of My Name Is Earl feel to it, in that it’s an everyday world populated with wonderful, larger-than-life characters.’

BBC Three commissioning editor Simon Lupton added: ‘Adrian has created a heart-warming world that can deliver big laughs. It’s rare to find a new writer who can write with such confidence.’