Twenty Twenty Six

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Twenty Twenty Six
GenreMockumentary
Created byJohn Morton
Written byJohn Morton
Directed byJohn Morton
Starring
Narrated byDavid Tennant
Opening theme"Mambo No. 5"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Paul Schlesinger
  • Nerys Evans
  • John Morton
ProducerCatherine Gosling Fuller
EditorRobin Hill
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyExpectation
Original release
Network
Release8 April (2026-04-08) –
13 May 2026 (2026-05-13)
Related

Twenty Twenty Six is a British television comedy series written and directed by John Morton. The series is a spoof mockumentary following the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It premiered on BBC Two on 8 April 2026, with all episodes released the same day on BBC iPlayer.

The series is a follow-up to Twenty Twelve, which followed the 2012 Summer Olympics, and W1A, which satirised the management of the BBC. It sees the reintroduction of Hugh Bonneville as his character Ian Fletcher from Twenty Twelve and W1A and Hugh Skinner as his character Will Humphries from W1A, alongside a new cast, with David Tennant's role as narrator continuing from the earlier series. The series received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Following on from his role at the BBC, Ian Fletcher leads the Oversight team behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the Director of Integrity.[1] The series is a spoof mockumentary following the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[2]

Each episode follows a workweek at the Oversight HQ in Miami.

Cast and characters

David Tennant narrates the series.

Main

  • Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher, the Director of Integrity
  • Nick Blood as Phil Plank, an English ex-footballer and the VP On Pitch Protocols[3]
  • Paulo Costanzo as Nick Castellano, an Italian New York lawyer and the VP of Business and Legal Affairs
  • Chelsey Crisp as Sarah Campbell, the American VP Sustainability and Climate Strategy[2]
  • Stephen Kunken as Owen Mitchell, the Canadian VP Logistics and Execution[2]
  • Jimena Larraguivel as Gabriela De La Rosa, the Mexican VP Optics and Narrative
  • Alexis Michalik as Eric Van Dupuytrens, the Belgian Chief Coordinating Attaché
  • Hugh Skinner as Will Humphries, Fletcher's Executive Assistant
  • Joe Hewetson as Zach Linksfeld, the Lead Thread Analyst on the social media team
  • Erin Kellyman as Madison Flynn, the Thought Leader and head of the social media team[1]
  • Nicole Sadie Sawyerr as Emily Nash, Van Dupuytrens' Executive Assistant
  • Marli Siu as Mia So, the Sentiment Curator on the social media team

Recurring

Guest

  • Tristan Gemmill as Daniel Krassman, a Miami businessman
  • Anastasia Hille as Professor Gisela Fuchs, the UNHA executive director of temperature
  • Janine Harouni as Amy Huffman, David Beckham's US agent and manager
  • Mary Higgins as Alicia Byrd, host of the Call This Shit Out podcast
  • Raffaello Degruttola as Father Pietro
  • Shai Matheson as Eduardo Bustos-Flores
  • Emily Piggford as Rachel McKinney
  • Matt Rippy as Ben Stratton, CNC News anchor
  • Ione Butler as Alex Kessler, CNC News anchor
  • Henry Ian Cusick as Vincente Guajardo
  • Steven Webb as Ryan Hertz

Episodes

On 30 March 2026, a two-minute short was released on BBC iPlayer, entitled Ian Fletcher: A Career, which predominantly comprises a recap of events from Twenty Twelve and W1A to (re)introduce the character and his career up to the events of Twenty Twenty Six.[4]

All episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer on 8 April 2026.[5]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal BBC Two air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1"Semi-Finals"John MortonJohn Morton8 April 2026 (2026-04-08)TBA
Ian Fletcher arrives at the Oversight headquarters and is introduced to Eric Van Dupuytrens and the team, whom he struggles to integrate with. At the last minute, Zurich schedules the semi-finals to take place in Dallas and Atlanta, just as Ian is due to deliver a speech to an expectant Miami crowd. Meanwhile, Sarah Campbell and the social media team start a social media campaign based on the 'power of poop', which receives a like from MrBeast. Ian's former PA Will Humphries arrives unexpectedly at HQ.
2"Heat"John MortonJohn Morton15 April 2026 (2026-04-15)TBA
At Oversight HQ, Ian chairs a meeting of the Strategic Operations Group (SOG) to discuss a report by the United Nations Health Agency on global heating, suggesting ways of protecting players from extreme heat during the games. The social media team film content for their new YouTube channel The Far Corner, but attempts to interview the general public and Selena Gomez are unsuccessful. Will familiarises himself with the HQ. Ian struggles with his hotel accommodation and begins searching for an apartment, which Sarah offers to help him with.
3"Ambassador"John MortonJohn Morton22 April 2026 (2026-04-22)TBA
Potential official ambassador David Beckham struggles with technical difficulties, leading the team to appoint Megan Rapinoe instead. The social media team lead a "Spread the Pink" campaign themed around Rapinoe's hair. At the launch event, both Beckham and Rapinoe are expecting to be named ambassador, but Ian resolves the situation. Sarah appears on the Call This Shit Out podcast, which is critical of the tournament's carbon impact. She makes a gaffe referring to biodegradable condoms as "wooden condoms". Meanwhile, Sarah shows Ian around her condo, and Will attempts to set up his Oversight account.
4"Mattheas Sivori/Wooden Condoms"[6]John MortonJohn Morton29 April 2026 (2026-04-29)TBA
5"Balls"[7]John MortonJohn Morton6 May 2026 (2026-05-06)TBA
6"Opening Ceremony"[8]John MortonJohn Morton13 May 2026 (2026-05-13)TBA

Production

Initially announced in June 2025,[9] Twenty Twenty Six is a follow-up to Morton's previous series Twenty Twelve, which followed the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and W1A, which satirised the management of the BBC, both starring Bonneville and the latter also starring Skinner,[3][1] alongside a new cast. David Tennant continues his role as narrator continuing from the earlier series.[10]

The series was filmed during summer 2025, in a school in Wembley made to look like a Miami arts centre.[1] The nearby North Studios was also used for sets, with no filming taking place in the United States except drone footage.[2]

Clarkson's Farm production company Expectation produced the six-episode series,[9][11] taking over from the producer of Twenty Twelve and W1A, BBC Studios, who will still handle global sales.[9][2] Despite being heavily influenced by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the tournament name and all mentions of FIFA are bleeped out for comedic effect,[3] due to "an overabundance of caution on the production's part".[1]

Broadcast

Twenty Twenty Six premiered on BBC Two on 8 April 2026,[1] with all episodes released the same day on BBC iPlayer from 6 am.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[12]
Rotten Tomatoes77%[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Financial TimesStarStar[14]
The GuardianStarStarStar[15]
The IndependentStarStarStar[16]
The TelegraphStarStarStarStar[17]
The TimesStarStarStarStar[18]

The series received generally positive reviews from critics. Sarah Dempster of The Guardian dubbed the series "a missed opportunity" but complimented Michalik's performance and Tennant's narration.[15] The Telegraph's Benji Wilson was more positive, awarding four out of five stars.[17] Writing in The Times, Ben Dowell also awarded four stars, calling Twenty Twenty Six "another very funny comedy".[18]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 74 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favourable" reviews.[12]

References

  1. Aroesti, Rachel (27 March 2026). "'The most painful TV experience I've ever had!' Hugh Bonneville on his excruciating office comedy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  2. Goldbart, Max (9 October 2025). "Hugh Bonneville & John Morton On Taking Ian Fletcher Stateside For The BBC's Twenty Twenty Six, Securing The Signature Of American Stars And Satirizing The Soccer World Cup". Deadline. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  3. Dowell, Ben (23 March 2026). "From the BBC to Fifa — what the creator of W1A did next". The Times. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  4. "BBC Two - Twenty Twenty Six, Series 1, Ian Fletcher: A Career". Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  5. "BBC Two - Twenty Twenty Six, Series 1, Heat". Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  6. "BBC Two - Twenty Twenty Six, Series 1, Mattheas Sivori/Wooden Condoms". Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  7. "BBC Two - Twenty Twenty Six, Series 1, Balls". Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  8. "BBC Two - Twenty Twenty Six, Series 1, Opening Ceremony". Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  9. Goldbart, Max (19 June 2025). "'Twenty Twenty Six': BBC Satire Series Officially Heading Stateside With Hugh Bonneville Reprising Role And Stephen Kunken, Paulo Costanzo & Chelsey Crisp Joining Cast". Deadline. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  10. Craig, David. "W1A creator hails David Tennant's narration and teases Twenty Twenty Six | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  11. Morris, Lauren (18 September 2025). "W1A star to reunite with Hugh Bonneville after 10 years for new BBC sequel". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  12. "Twenty Twenty Six critic reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. "Twenty Twenty Six: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. Nicholson, Rebecca (8 April 2026). "Twenty Twenty Six TV review — Hugh Bonneville bumbles through W1A follow-up". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  15. Dempster, Sarah (8 April 2026). "Twenty Twenty Six review – Hugh Bonneville's World Cup comedy wields jokes as subtly as foam mallets". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  16. Rosseinsky, Katie (9 April 2026). "Twenty Twenty Six review – The two Hughs are a delight in hit and miss W1A spin-off". The Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  17. Wilson, Benji (8 April 2026). "The World Cup gets the W1A treatment – and David Beckham wants a bigger desk". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  18. Dowell, Ben (8 April 2026). "Twenty Twenty Six review — Hugh Bonneville returns in funny W1A follow-up". The Times. Retrieved 11 April 2026.