Michael Palin is set to star in the BBC’s upcoming war drama the Wipers Times.
The television drama tells the story of a squad of British soldiers who created and published a satirical newspaper during the First World War. Based on a true story, the Wipers Times will be written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman and directed by Andy De Emmony.
“Just like the original Wipers Times, this new history drama will be filled with jokes, spoofs and amazing examples of courage behind the laughs,” according to Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two. The newspaper, which was originally based in the Belgian town of Ypres in 1916, was known for its dark humor and jokes about both the military’s enemies and allies.
Palin is best known for his work as a founding member of Monty Python. More recently, he has hosted a number of travel series. The Wipers Times will mark Palin’s first television drama role in over twenty years, BBC News reports.
Also starring Ben Chaplin (as the paper’s editor, Captain Fred Roberts), Emilia Fox, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Steve Oram, the Wipers Times will air later this year on BBC Two.