A British comedian is forced to give up his successful career and move to small-town New Brunswick because of a Brexit scandal.
That is the premise of a new television sitcom called NBrexit, which was filmed in the Miramichi region and is set to be released in the new year.
Comedian James Mullinger co-wrote the show with director Adam Lordon, who also happens to be the mayor of Miramichi.
In a recent interview, Mullinger described it as a dream project for the two of them, who both star in the sitcom.
“It’s fairly well known how the two of us love New Brunswick and have always devoted most of the things that we do to celebrating the region and promoting the region,” said Mullinger.
“There hasn’t been the light shined on the province as much as we would all like.”
If the sitcom’s premise sounds familiar, you are not wrong. Mullinger himself moved to Saint John from the UK in 2014 — though his move was by choice and had nothing to do with a Brexit scandal.
The main character lands in his wife’s hometown, a fictionalized community called Riversville, and becomes a stay-at-home dad while she goes off to work at a local company.
“It’s very much a fish-out-of-water comedy which is my favourite type of comedy,” said Mullinger.
Mullinger said he and Lordon had been talking about the concept for some time when Bell invited them to pitch the show.
They spent the past six months or so writing and editing the scripts “and making sure they were funny,” he said.
The sitcom was filmed in the Miramichi region over the course of several days in August. Mullinger said the crew was almost all New Brunswick-based and most of the cast is from the Maritimes.
According to Mullinger, it is the first English-speaking sitcom to be filmed and entirely set in New Brunswick.
“Even though the town is fictional, it’s very much a celebration of this place. It’s very clear in the show that they are moving to a small town in New Brunswick,” he said.
Mullinger said getting to work with Lordon has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole experience.
The two first met a few years ago in Miramichi after a show at the Vogue Theatre, which was destroyed two years ago.
“Being able to have this opportunity where we’ve been working so close together for the last six months, both through writing it and then rehearsals, that has been the thing that I’ve definitely enjoyed most,” said Mullinger.
Mullinger said he also enjoyed having his two sons on the set. Lordon had suggested that they play his children in the show.
“Traditionally, when I’m away on the road, either doing stand-up or filming work, my overriding emotion is feeling homesick or feeling guilty about being away from my sons,” he said.
The show is expected to air on Bell Fibe TV1 in early 2023.
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