'Twenty Twelve' Follow Up 'Twenty Twenty Six' Confirmed for 2026
Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher in 'Twenty Twenty Six'
BBC
One of the best aspects of the U.K.'s primary export being entertainment is that whenever something historically significant happens, it often inspires a BBC-produced TV series. Such was the case with the London 2012 Olympics, which not only was a ratings hit in sporting programs, but also begat the first three parts of the Henriad known as The Hollow Crown and the satirical series Twenty-Twelve, in which Hugh Bonneville lampooned the BBC's efforts to televise the games. Both were aimed at enticing PBS to pick them up for American audiences to promote the event, which it promptly did.
Both were big enough hits to spawn follow-ups; the Henriad was completed in 2016 with The Hollow Crown: War of the Roses, and Bonneville reprised his hapless BBC executive character, Ian Fletcher, in three seasons of W1A. PBS picked up both in turn. However, the last few months of political upheaval have caused a trans-Atlantic co-production freeze, which may explain why the BBC's newest series from the W1A team, Twenty Twenty Six, does not have American distribution, despite being about the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held across the North American continent, primarily in the U.S.
Announced with a BBC statement that vacillates between being an actual announcement and an in-world satire of a press release, Auntie Beeb has revealed Ian Fletcher is leaving his post at the British Broadcaster. His next post will be joining the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team, located in Miami Florida, as its Director of Integrity.
Here's the announcement:
Having previously held a leadership role on the London Games of Twenty Twelve and a spell in W1A as the Head of Values at the BBC, Ian Fletcher is now bound for the greatest stage in world football.
Next year’s tournament will be the biggest ever. Hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with 48 countries participating and 16 venues scattered across thousands of miles of North America, what could possibly go wrong? Ian Fletcher is about to find out, as he joins the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team in Miami as its Director of Integrity.
Ian Fletcher said: "I’m thrilled at the prospect of joining the Oversight Team in Miami for this unique event. And in terms of the Integrity role, to borrow a soccer analogy, this is a rare opportunity to set out your own goals and then score them on the global stage.”
Currently, Bonneville is the only original cast member reprising his role from either series. (This tracks since the new series is set in the U.S.) He’ll be joined by a global ensemble, including fellow British actors Nick Blood (Day of The Jackal) and Belinda Stewart-Wilson (Stay Close), Franco-British actor Alexis Michalik (Versailles), UK-Mexican actor Jimena Larraguivel (Patience), Canadian actor Paulo Costanzo (The Night Of), and American actors Chelsey Crisp (Ten Percent) and Stephen Kunken (A Spy Among Friends).
John Morton, who wrote and directed Twenty Twelve and W1A, returns for Twenty Twenty Six as writer, director, and executive producer along with Paul Schlesinger and Nerys Evans. “I wasn’t sure what Ian Fletcher had been up to recently,” Morton said in the press release. “The last I heard, he was still recovering from a serious Mindfulness Course in Somerset. So, it’s great to hear that he’s made it back and has re-emerged in his natural habitat at the centre of a well-known institution, but now on the world stage and facing his biggest opportunity yet to get things right. I’m thrilled and hugely grateful to the BBC for giving me the chance to follow him again, this time all the way to Miami, and I literally can’t wait to see what happens.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, who commissioned the series, said: “We’ll miss Ian’s invaluable contribution to the BBC as Head of Values, but how could he resist getting the call-up to be a part of one of the most expansive and ambitious sporting events in the world. We wish him, and the team, all the best.”
Twenty Twenty Six is expected to premiere in 2026, and if PBS or BritBox hasn’t picked it up by then, I will personally riot.
