James Nesbitt is swapping gritty crime drama for broad comedy, joining the cast of Hopley Hall, a new six-part BBC sitcom shooting now on the County Antrim coast.
The Cold Feet star, most recently seen as a desperate father in the thriller Run Away and in Netflix's Missing You, lines up alongside Derry Girls favourite Jamie-Lee O'Donnell in the comedy, which was first announced by the BBC in May 2026.
Created and written by Daniel Peak (Not Going Out, Code 404), Hopley Hall is a workplace comedy set in a crumbling Grade A listed stately home in a fictional town on the coast of County Antrim.
As per the synopsis: "At Hopley Hall, the heating rarely works, the history is questionable and the gift shop sells mostly tea towels. The Grade A listed masterpiece, located in a fictional town on the Coast of County Antrim, is held together by damp, optimism and a deep-seated resentment for the tourist attraction down the road.
"We follow the team of eccentric, dysfunctional volunteers and staff including a freshly-appointed community engagement officer who struggles dealing with actual human beings, an over-enthusiastic guide with no sense of irony and a disgruntled gardener."
It adds: "Hopley Hall is a workplace comedy about people who have absolutely nothing in common, except the desperate, daily struggle to keep the roof on and the public out of the private toilets."
For Nesbitt, the role marks a homecoming.
"To be going back to the coast of Antrim, where my mother grew up and where I spent much of my childhood is an absolute treat," he said. "Hopley Hall is an innovative and funny series that will show off the beauty of Northern Ireland. The scripts have a uniquely Northern Irish sense of humour running through them and I'm looking forward to working alongside some truly great local talent."
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The ensemble also includes James Martin (How to Get to Heaven from Belfast), Leela Harris (Youth), Georgie Glen (Call the Midwife), Tommy Belshaw (Close to Home) and Jeany Spark (Man Down).
Hopley Hall is co-produced by Nice One Productions and Birdie Pictures, backed by StudioCanal, for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Northern Ireland, with support from Northern Ireland Screen. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, in his former role as BBC director of comedy, and Eddie Doyle, BBC Northern Ireland head of commissioning.
Alongside Peak, additional material comes from a group of emerging Northern Ireland comedy writers including Oisin Kearney, Michael McCullagh, Shannon Welby, Susannah McKenna-Strathern, the late Michael Patrick, Eileen Tracey and Caitlin Magnall-Kearns. Tom Marshall – known for his work on Chewing Gum, Smoggie Queens and The Cleaner – also directs, with Chris Martin producing.
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Hopley Hall is coming soon to BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Northern Ireland.
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