Caitlin Moran launches crowdfunding drive for more Raised By Wolves
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Version 0 of 1. Caitlin Moran has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £320,000 to pay for new episodes of her critically acclaimed comedy Raised By Wolves. The sitcom ran for two seasons on Channel 4 but was cancelled in August. At the time Moran, who writes the show with her sister Caroline, promised there would be a third series if it could get support from the public. The pair said they had already written scripts for a new series and hoped the campaign on Kickstarter would give them a chance to continue the story, which is based on their childhood growing up in Wolverhampton. A Facebook page for the campaign launched in August attracted more than 20,000 members and Big Talk Productions, which will continue producing the show, has said all cast and crew are behind the project. Rewards for backers start with a thank you message gif from the show’s matriarch, Della, for those who pledge £5 or more. Other funding packages include £1,000-plus for a 30-minute Skype call with Moran and the chance to appear as an extra on the show for those paying £600 or more. As of Tuesday the Save the Wolves! Kickstarter page had attracted more than £41,000 from more than 570 backers. One person has pledged more than £2,500 for the “Captain Big Bollocks package”, which includes an associate crowdfunding producer credit. However, no one has yet stumped up more than £5,000 for the “Benevolent Oligarch package”, which includes a set visit and tickets to the show’s premiere. Caitlin and Caroline Moran wrote: “We’re asking you to help us fund at least ONE episode, so we can give the world a further slice of Aretha’s misanthropy, Grampy’s complicated love life, Germaine’s sexual awakening, and Della’s Ripley-from-Aliens-in-CostCo parenting. “Obviously, the more we can raise, the more we can make – the more people support the campaign, spread the word and fund us, the bigger the chances we have of continuing to make the show. We’ve got the scripts right here! We know what happens next! All we need is your help to get them on to the screen.” Raised By Wolves has been praised as one of the few comedies made by and depicting the lives of working-class women and was voted the ninth best comedy of the 21st century so far in a Radio Times poll. The campaign is not the first attempt to use crowdfunding to produce a UK comedy. A pilot is due to begin filming this week for The Mayoress, which raised its target of £75,000 through Kickstarter after being turned down by the BBC. Cast and crew, including actors Jack Dee and Michelle Collins and the director David Schneider, of The Day Today and I’m Alan Partridge, are dedicating their time for free and the makers plan to distribute it over the internet. |