Narrated by David Tennant, the mockumentary follows Fletcher as he heads to Miami to help plan the world’s biggest football tournament across the U.S., Canada and Mexico
(Image: BBC/Expectation Entertainment/Jack Barnes)
TORONTO, ON – April 14, 2026 – From the team behind W1A and the Bafta-winning Twenty Twelve comes Twenty Twenty Six, a new six-part mockumentary series that sees the BBC’s former Head of Values, Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville), appointed to a key new role as Director of Integrity for the upcoming world football tournament, which, as narrator David Tennant notes in the opening episode, “we’re unable to name for legal reasons.” The Canadian broadcast premiere of Twenty Twenty Six airs Friday, May 1st at 9 p.m. ET/PT on BBC First in Canada.
Having previously held a leadership role on the London Games in 2012 and a spell as the Head of Values at the BBC (postcode W1A), Fletcher is now bound for the greatest stage in the world, joining the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team in Miami. Hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with 48 countries taking part and 16 venues thousands of miles apart across the whole of North America; what could possibly go wrong? Fletcher must establish himself in a corporate culture that is “irretrievably American” as he leads the Oversight Team to make hard decisions, while delicately navigating the competing interests of the nations involved. On his first day, Fletcher must steer the Oversight Team through a last-minute decision on which cities will host the semi-finals, as the Social Media Team tackles a sustainability initiative focused on human waste.
Ian Fletcher says: ‘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.”
Fletcher’s Oversight Team includes Nick Castellano (Paulo Costanzo), VP Business and Legal Affairs; Sarah Campbell (Chelsey Crisp), VP Sustainability and Climate Strategy; Owen Mitchell (Stephen Kunken), VP Logistics and Execution; Phil Plank (Nick Blood), VP On Pitch Protocols; Gabriela De La Rosa (Jimena Larraguivel), VP Optics and Narrative; Madison Flynn (Erin Kellyman), Thought Leader; and Eric Van Depuytrens (Alexis Michalik), Chief Coordinating Attaché. The Social Media Team includes Mia So (Marli Siu), Sentiment Curator, and Zach Linksfeld (Joe Hewetson), Lead Thread Analyst. Returning as Fletcher’s hapless assistant is Will Humphries (Hugh Skinner).
Twenty Twenty Six (6×30) is an Expectation production for BBC Two and iPlayer with additional support from OKRE regarding climate and health expertise. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. The series is written and directed by John Morton. The producer is Catherine Gosling Fuller, and the Executive Producers are Paul Schlesinger, Nerys Evans and John Morton. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Emma Lawson. BBC Studios, which has a minority investment stake in Expectation, handles global sales.
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Notes to Editor: Canadian actor Paul Costanzo (Designated Survivor, Royal Pains) is available for media interviews upon request. Please contact Jakki Roussel and Ally Medeiros for more information.
BBC First is a Blue Ant Media specialty channel giving Canadians access to a huge lineup of BBC’s original, award-winning, and uniquely British programming from drama to comedy, action and adventure, to mysterious thrillers. In Canada, BBC First is owned and operated by Blue Ant Media in partnership with BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Visit BBCFirst.ca.
Media Contacts:
Ally Medeiros
Communications Assistant
Blue Ant Media
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Jakki Roussel
Communications, Director, Canada
Blue Ant Media
E: jakki.roussel@tmy.cip.mybluehost.me