Starstruck is a brand-new BBC Three comedy, written and directed by comedian Rose Matafeo. Described by Matafeo as a rom-com, it follows the story of a millennial woman named Jessie (played by Matafeo), from East London, who accidentally finds herself sleeping with a famous film star named Tom (played by Nikesh Patel). As expected, hilarity ensues.
Prior to creating the show, Matafeo asked herself, "What do I like watching the most, what are the things that I love?" The answer was simple: romantic comedies. "I think anyone that knows my comedy, and knows my references, knows that I am deeply obsessed with rom-coms. I was like, 'I wanna make something that is warm and funny and has a heart to it,'" the actor explained during a recent Q&A.
In terms of her influences, she was inspired by the likes of Nora Ephron, Albert Brooks, and the art of screwball comedy. "Tonally, it's much more influenced by rom-coms by like with Albert Brooks and those comedian-written ones where they're being in it and sometimes they're also directing it. Those comedian-led films of quite difficult characters sometimes, those were the influences. Like Nora Ephron, she's obviously a huge influence in rom-coms and When Harry Met Sally is such a classic, I think musically as well, there's shades of that," Matafeo said.
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Starstruck is available to view in full on BBC iPlayer now, with the very first episode airing tonight on BBC One.