Ricky Gervais has reportedly cast Natalie Cassidy in his upcoming animated series.
Ricky Gervais has cast an EastEnders star in his new comedy
The 63-year-old star is working on his first major programme since 'After Life' took Netflix by storm, and the 'EastEnders' star is said to be lending her voice to the show, which will be about cats.
As reported by The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column, a recording session was held last week in London and Natalie is on board.
A source said: "The project is still in its early stages, but Ricky is super excited as he’s always wanted to make a show about cats.
“He’s a big animal lover, so mixing comedy and pets is an ideal combination.
"And with his star cast on board, it’s bound to be hilarious.”
As well as Natalie, the cast is expected to feature big names from his previousn projects, after Ricky shared a picture of the cast including Kerry Goldliman and Diane Morgan inside a studio.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for the project, which is set to land on Netflix as part of Ricky's exclusive deal with the streaming platform.
BBC bosses are letting Natalie take part as there is no scheduling clash, while she has long wanted to star in one of the comedian's shows.
Last year, she joined 'Derek' and 'After Life' stars David Earl and Joe Wilkinson on the 'Chatabix' podcast and said: "It’s my dream. I watch 'After Life' and 'Derek' and I’m like, ‘Why haven’t I done that? Why can’t I be on things like that?’ "
News of the feline project comes after Ricky laid into the 'Cats' musical movie adaptation during the 2020 Golden Globes.
As well as taking aim at leading man James Corden, he referenced the film's "shocking reviews", adding: "I saw one that said this is the worst thing to happen to cats since dogs.”
Tagged in Ricky Gervais Natalie Cassidy