W1A spin-off in the works

A 'W1A' spin-off is in the works.

The mockumentary series saw Hugh Bonneville portray executive Ian Fletcher alongside Jessica Hynes as his hapless publicist Siobhan Sharpe and ran for three series from 2014 to 2017, but Sarah Parish - who played Anna Rampton - has revealed a new series is being written which will take the 'Downton Abbey' star's alter ego out of the BBC and into a new job at football's governing body FIFA.

Speaking on 'The Gaby Roslin Podcast', Sarah said: “It’s being written — maybe I’m talking out of turn, I don’t know.

“John Morton, the writer, is so brilliant and so fabulous at picking out the subtleties of the horror of working in an institution that big, but he did it brilliantly. It was a joyful thing to be in.

“So Ian Fletcher will continue. And I thought probably Siobhan could go with him because wherever Ian goes, Siobhan goes as well and does all his PR, really badly.

“So I’m hoping that those two characters will have another rebirth in another series.”

'W1A' was itself an offshoot of 'Twenty Twelve', a satire of the organisation of the London Olympics.

In the original show, Ian was Head of the Olympic Deliverance Commission before landing his 'W1A' job of Head of Values at the BBC.

'W1A' also starred Jason Watkins, Monica Dolan, and Hugh Skinner and was narrated by David Tennant, but it is unclear who will have a role in the new show.

Hugh has a busy time ahead because as well as the proposed spin-off, he's also set for a second series of 'The Gold', and it was recently claimed a seventh season of 'Downton Abbey' is in the works.

The acclaimed period drama, which also starred Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and Dame Maggie Smith, ran from 2010 to 2015, and received two movie spin-offs in 2019 and 2022.

A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: “Filming has been going on for a few weeks now, it is all very, very secret. There are people working on it who have never seen secrecy like it.

"Those working on the set have been made to sign non-disclosure agreements so that they don't give the game away but there is a lot of excitement at the return of 'Downton'.

"It was such a huge success before and there are so many more stories to be told, it seemed such a shame not to be able to make more of it but they've made it happen.”