THE FAMILY THAT MAKES YOURS SEEM NORMAL

Friday Night Dinner joins BBC AMERICA's comedy block Ministry of Laughs

Every family has their quirks. The Goodmans, a traditional but not strictly observant Jewish family, prove they are no exception in the new comedy Friday Night Dinner, created by Robert Popper (South Park, Peep Show, Look Around You) and set to premiere this July on BBC AMERICA's brand new comedy block, Ministry of Laughs. Some things never change and for the Goodmans it's their weekly dinner, where the brothers act like kids again and Mom and Dad are as embarrassing as they always have been. From creepy neighbors to family meetings in the restroom, there is never a dull moment at the Goodman residence. Friday Night Dinner stars Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Paul Ritter (Pulling), Mark Heap (Spaced) and newcomer Tom Rosenthal and will debut following the BBC AMERICA premiere of the family comedy Outnumbered. Friday Night Dinner premieres on the Ministry of Laughs Saturday, July 30, 11:30pm ET/PT.

Every Friday night, brothers Adam (Bird) and Jonny (Rosenthal) return to their parents' home for dinner. They consider the weekly event a necessary annoyance - necessary because they get fed, and annoying because, well, they have to spend the evening with Mom (Greig) and Dad (Ritter). It's not that Mom and Dad aren't wonderful. They really are. But Dad slugs ketchup straight from the bottle, Mom is obsessed with Masterchef and even Grandma likes to wear her new bikini around the house. If that wasn't bad enough, Jim their eccentric neighbor, who's terrified of his own dog, is constantly making up excuses to stop by with his four-legged friend.

As for the next generation, girlfriends are an issue - Jonny's girlfriend, Alison, is nothing less than made-up and not even the internet can sort out a "female" for Adam. It doesn't help that Adam writes jingles for toilet paper commercials and Jonny's favorite party trick is jumping out of garbage bags onto unsuspecting victims.

Creator Robert Popper says: "I'm so excited Friday Night Dinner is coming to BBC AMERICA. I mean, what could be better? The BBC and America - together. Hoorah!"

Ministry of Laughs hosted by Chris Hardwick premieres a raft of irreverent and inventive award-winning comedies from the UK and launched June 18 with The Graham Norton Show, The Inbetweeners and Come Fly With Me. Joining Friday Night Dinner and Graham Norton this July is the multi-award-winning comedy series Outnumbered, which captures the turbulence of family life in a way not seen before - at its most deliciously chaotic moments. Later this year, the Ministry of Laughs will premiere new seasons of The Thick of It, Free Agents and That Mitchell & Webb Look.

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER - CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS

Mom (Jackie Goodman) Tamsin Greig

Adam Simon Bird

Dad (Martin Goodman) Paul Ritter

Jim Mark Heap

Jonny Tom Rosenthal

Guest stars

Sheila Frances Barber (The Street)

Grandma Frances Cuka (Casualty)

Chris Matthew Holness (Free Agents, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace)

Tanya Tuppence Middleton (Tormented)

Val Tracy-Ann Oberman (Doctor Who, EastEnders)

Written and produced by Robert Popper (South Park, Peep Show, Look Around You)

Executive Producers Kenton Allen (Free Agents, That Mitchell and Webb Look, The Royle Family) Nira Park (Paul, Scott Pilgram vs. the World, Spaced) Caroline Leddy (The Inbetweeners, Four Lions, Big Train)

Friday Night Dinner is a Popper Pictures/Big Talk production for Channel 4.

Big Talk is one of the UK's leading film and television production companies. Launched by Nira Park in 1995, it has an impeccable track record in developing talent such as Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright whose cult television series Spaced paved the way for Big Talk's first hit films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Matthew Justice (Managing Director) and Kenton Allen (Chief Executive) joined the team, and last year two new six-part comedies were broadcast to record audiences and critical acclaim: the BAFTA-winning Rev. (BBC Two), starring Tom Hollander, and Him & Her (BBC Three). Friday Night Dinner is Big Talk's first co-production with Popper Pictures, broadcast in the UK this year by Channel 4, who immediately commissioned a second series. Current productions include second series of Rev. and Him & Her, and new commissions The Pranker (with Running Bare Films for BBC Three), Chickens (Channel 4) and Threesome (Comedy Central UK). Big Talk is now also the home of entertainment formats Show Me The Funny: Stand-Up Showdown (ITV) a nationwide contest for stand-up comedians culminating in a live final, and King Of ... (Channel 4) a comedy chat show. This year NBC has commissioned a series based on their Channel 4 show Free Agents. Starring Hank Azaria, it will be broadcast in the US from September. In film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, starring Michael Cera and directed by Edgar Wright, has been hailed as a 'modern masterpiece'. Paul, written by and starring Simon Pegg & Nick Frost and directed by Greg Mottola has been a huge hit worldwide. Attack the Block, written and directed by Joe Cornish, has been released in the UK to stellar reviews and will open in the US this summer.

KIDS:3 PARENTS:2 - LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Outnumbered makes BBC AMERICA premiere on Ministry of Laughs

The multi-award-winning comedy series, Outnumbered, captures the turbulence of family life in a way not seen before - at its most deliciously chaotic moments. Two parents, played by Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner, and their three children are locked in an unequal battle. Using elements of improvisation, Outnumbered sees the world as much from the children's as the adults' point of view. The parents constantly try to keep their children under control, but completely fail to do so. Eleven-year-old Jake worries about everything from starting at his new school to the world being sucked into a black hole, seven-year-old Ben constantly lies to his parents and always wants to watch Little Britain, and five-year-old Karen seems to have a limitless number of questions. Outnumbered premieres on the Ministry of Laughs Saturday, July 30, 11:00pm ET/PT.

OUTNUMBERED - CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS

Dad (Pete) Hugh Dennis (Mock The Week, My Hero)

Mom (Sue) Claire Skinner (Sense and Sensibility, Life Begins)

Jake Tyger Drew-Honey (The Armstrong and Miller Show)

Ben Daniel Roche (Just William)

Karen Ramona Marquez (The King's Speech)

Guest stars

Auntie Angela Samantha Bond (Die Another Day, Downton Abbey)

Grandad David Ryall (The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse)

Jane Hattie Morahan (Sense & Sensibility, The Golden Compass)

Written, directed Andy Hamilton (Drop The Dead Donkey, Trevor's World of Sport, Bedtime)

and produced by Guy Jenkin (Drop The Dead Donkey, Crossing The Floor, Jeffrey Archer - The Truth)

Outnumbered is a Hat Trick Production for BBC One.