Fake Wikipedia page for non existent sitcom - Stars of tomorrow, flatmates of today

Stars of tomorrow is a 2024 sitcom made for Channel 4 by JAX media. Based in a flatshare for performers at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.  

Set over the 3-week course of the fringe, it follows the home life of a group of Edinburgh fringe performers sharing student accommodation for the period.  Four of the performers are around for the whole festival, but two of the rooms are used on a short-term basis, making for a naturally fluctuating cast. 

Writer AJ Scribbler was inspired to write the series after their first time at the fringe involved sharing a flat with a Boris Johnson lookalike. 

Each episode ends with one of the performers giving a 2-3 minute set from their stage act, thus the script for these sections simply reads “[character name} does their thing”. 

A second series was delayed by the various conflicting projects of the core cast and has yet to be confirmed.  

Main Characters 

Shelly – The central figure, a stand up comic taking her first show to the fringe. Former  partner of Nick Holding (“his sexual partner, I’ve always been a solo act”) who has since gone on to be a rising comedy star. Has a free fringe venue in the back of beyond (“That’s practically Leith, your audience is going to need sherpas to get there”), though when she arrives for her first gig the stage is filled with a summer’s full of clutter.  

Kay – A young comic, just here for the first two weeks to do pick-up slots and learn the ropes. 

Tony – Organises rooms for performers for the duration of the festival, is always dealing with emergencies, such as a pantomime horse locked out of its room or the windows of the flat not opening when Monsoir Methane is staying, hence his catchphrase “It’s chaos out there”. 

John – An old hand, with four shows at the fringe, all in prominent venues. Prone to looking down on the less experience acts and to stealing anything in the fridge that isn’t nailed down. 

Cath – Staying in the upstairs flat, but comes down to flat three to vape and gossip. An old hand at the fringe, full of gossip and tall tales.  

Boris – A Boris Johnson lookalike, who seemingly spends his life preening himself in the bathroom (“yet he still comes out looking like Boris Johnson”).  

Cast  

Shelly – Sophie Willan 

Kay – Alexa Davies 

John – Will Merrick 

Boris – Drew Galdron 

Tony – Alan Carr 

Cath from upstairs – Louise Brealey 

Dean (barman at Shelly’s venue) - Hammed Animashaun 

Episode 1 – Arrival. Set mostly in the shared kitchen, the episode focusses on the arrival of the flatmates ahead of their first shows.  Boris has been in the loo for over half an hour and the rest of the cast are getting restless. The floating guests this week are a pantomime horse who is locked out of its room and an Amy Winehouse impersonator (JoJo Barton).  Tony is called to let the pantomime horse in its room, but he is overwhelmed with start-of-fringe issues, including having to find rooms for the all-dwarf cast of Kill Bill who have arrived three days early. Amy Winehouse ends the show ‘rehearsing’ Back to Black in the kitchen, as the cast, pantomime horse and seven dwarves dance along. 

 Episode 2 – Audiences. The only thing that matters is the number of bums on seats.  Dead bodies count, as there is intense rivalry between performers. Floating guests include an invisible man act, who may or may not have arrived, and Monsoir Meethane an ‘entertainer of the anal music variety’, whose arrival unfortunately coincides with the windows of the flat not opening. Shelly arrives at her gig to find that the previous act was none other than Monsoir Meethane, as a result the room isn’t fit for use and the show (her best audience yet) has to be cancelled. Episode ends with Kay performing a dance routine with the invisible man (or possibly doing a solo dance, nobody is sure). 

Episode 3 – Reviews.   The first reviews are appearing and performers are in a state of panic. Kay is surprised by a 4-star review the previous nights show, which didn’t have an audience (“Maybe their’s a ghost reviewer”). Floating guests include a bajolele-playing unicyclist and a clown psychiatrist. Cath enjoys herself terrifying the young performers with tales of the legendary reviews from career-destroying Ruth Teller from the Edinburgh Post. Shelly arrives at her gig to find none other than Ruth Teller in the audience. Episode ends with John performing excerpts from all four of his shows simultaneously.  

Episode 4 – Fringe Flu. It’s the second week of the fringe, and everyone has succumbed to fringe flu.  Dr Alt, the anti-vax, alternative medicine podcaster, is one of the floating guests, but never leaves his room as he has come down with the lurgie, which he blames on someone ‘shedding’ their vaccine on him. Shelly has also picked up the bug, but Cath has been here before and knows the perfect cure, shots of mixed shorts, which results in Shelly performing her act in a drunken flurry.  Meanwhile, Kay is leaving tomorrow, but her farewell party is a drab affair with everyone flu-ridden and miserable.  Episode ends with Cath performing a mime-version of her act having lost her voice. 

Episode 5 – Awards. It’s award-ceremony time, and the acts are busy drafting acceptance speeches they will never need. Floating guests include Mr Waffles a racing commentator   and Mr Shouty, the worlds loudest man. Shelly is delighted to be up for an award for ‘Genuine effort by a complete beginner’, only to find that the award is to be presented by her ex boyfriend turned comedy superstar Nick Holder (“I was in your position three years ago” - “I know every position you were in three years ago, I was there remember”).  Episode ends with Nr Waffles commentating on everything he sees (“and the milk is being removed from the fridge”). 

Episode 6 – Farewells and not so wells.  Floating Guests are a second Boris Johnson lookalike and the return of Amy Winehouse (JoJo Barton). It’s the end of the fringe, a time of reflection and farewells. Cath returns to her day job (“What is your day job?” - “I’m a gossip columnist”). John goes on tour as one of ‘the stars of the fringe’, Tony returns to his day job of air traffic controller (“you’re an air traffic controller, what’s that like?” - “It’s chaos up there darling, complete chaos”).  Episode ends with Boris and Boris performing a double act.