Long before The Office, there was This is Spinal Tap.
Now the man behind this enduring wonder big screen mockumentary is bringing his gifts to the BBC.
This is Spinal Tap - never bettered...
Christopher Guest, who played 'up to 11' guitarist Nigel Tufnel as well as penning the exploration of what it is to be a rock god, will be creating a documentary-style comedy series for BBC2.
And he's recruited the popular talents of Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, The IT Crowd) for Family Tree, about a man Tom Chadwick looking into his ancestry after losing his job, his girlfriend and his confidence.
Guest is famously mercurial, happy to go for long stretches between projects, but when he does land on something, it is without fail worth watching, and the BBC are suitably chuffed to bring him into their fold.
Just because...
Executive editor for the BBC, Chris Sussman, said: "We are all ludicrously excited about the opportunity to work with Christopher Guest. He has British roots but this is his first ever project over here, and we are very pleased to have it on the BBC."
Guest, US-born and married to Jamie Lee Curtis, is also a British hereditary peer through his family the Haden-Guests, and will be writing the series with British Jim Piddock, his collaborator on Best in Show and For Your Consideration.
It will also be screened by US broadcaster HBO.
To celebrate Christopher Guest coming to the BBC, here's a look at some of the funniest films of the decade... is yours in there?
