Comedy writer says Bedford speaks to whole country

Tom Basden plays Robin in the BBC One comedy Here We Go

A comedy writer has said he set his sitcom in the town of Bedford as it is representative of the whole country.

Tom Basden created and writes the BBC One show Here We Go, which he also appears in alongside Alison Steadman, Katherine Parkinson and Jim Howick.

The former vice president of Cambridge Footlights said: "I thought Bedford was a really good location for a show that speaks to the whole country.

"I wanted to set the show somewhere that just felt very traditionally English but not really known for being any one particular thing."

The three seasons of the show are predominantly set in Bedford

Describing the show's premise, Basden said: "It's about a family called the Jessop family who live in Bedford and are a very, very normal family who find themselves in a lot of weird and wonderful situations."

The full third series of the show is now available on BBC iPlayer, following the premiere of its first episode on BBC One.

Basden added: "I didn't want it to feel too regional.

"I didn't want it to feel like it's a show about London or a show about Manchester or something."

While one episode of the new series is set in Malta, the show remains largely based in Bedford, although it is filmed in other parts of the country.