The end of the world is nigh! Everyone Else Burns is a glorious Channel 4 send-up of religious fanaticism and cults as it follows the ups and downs of the super religious Lewis family, as they navigate modern life, while trying to protect themselves from eternal damnation.
Set in Manchester, UK, and starring The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner star Simon Bird as the family patriarch David Lewis, the six-part series also features a host of other well-known comedy actors, including Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers) and Morgana Robinson (The Windsors).
It follows the Lewis family from Manchester and the puritanical Christian sect they’re devoted to. Patriarch David Lewis yearns to ascend the church ranks and become an Elder, while his dutiful wife Fiona struggles with her own dogmatic moral compass.
Meanwhile, their 12-year-old son Aaron fights a daily battle with secular bullies, and their naïve 17-year-old daughter Rachel is desperate to go to university — if her parents will allow it!
So here’s everything we know so far about the bonkers sitcom Everyone Else Burns coming to Channel 4 in 2023…
Everyone Else Burns release date
Everyone Else Burns launches on Channel 4 on Monday January 23 2023 at 10pm and also on streaming service All4. We’ll update as soon as know the confirmed air date as well as any international or US air date.
Is there an Everyone Else Burns trailer?
Yes a trailer for Everyone Else Burns has now been released by Channel 4. 'Pack your bags Aaron, the end is here!' says a panicked David, who has a marvellous pudding bowl hair cut! Take a look below...
Everyone Else Burns plot plus Simon Bird interview
Set in Manchester, Everyone Else Burns is a six-part series that centres on the Lewis family, who belong to a puritanical Christian sect that puts them at odds with modern life. When not preparing the family for the apocalypse, patriarch David (Bird), who works in a parcel sorting depot, is busy trying to advance his prospects of being made an elder of the church.
Meanwhile, his long-suffering wife Fiona (Kate O'Flynn) decides to set up her own business with the help of kindly neighbour Melissa (Morgana Robinson). Daughter Rachel (Amy James-Kelly) longs for a less restricted existence, and angry son Aaron (Harry Connor) paints violent pictures of his dad and waits for the end of days to arrive.
Although the strict Christianity that the family observes, which proscribes modern technology and spreads the word by sending its followers to give out pamphlets, provides the framework for the comedy, Bird says its appeal is far more universal.
‘It’s not just about religion,’ he explains. ‘For me, it’s also about the fear of how rapidly the world is changing, which I think is shared by a lot of people. At the heart of David is just anxiety about existing in the 21st century, and losing control over his children as the kids come of age and figure out that their principles and priorities are different from those of their parents.’
In that regard, Bird sees some similarities between Everyone Else Burns and the long-running Friday Night Dinner.
‘That was a sitcom about a family who happened to be Jewish. And this is about a family who happen to be part of a doomsday cult, which I think adds to the comedy. But people will be surprised by how much it tugs at the heartstrings, because it's dealing with themes that are universal and relatable.’
The father-of-two says he welcomed the chance to shift generations in the characters he was playing. ‘My beard is starting to go grey and my joints are starting to ache, so it feels like the right time!’ he laughs.
So is there any prospect of The Inbetweeners returning, but with the four pals all as fully grown men?
‘The Inbetweeners was based on the fact that they were teenagers, and hadn’t really learnt how to exist in real society,’ says Bird. ‘If they were still behaving like that in their 30s, it wouldn’t actually be funny – it would be quite tragic.’
Everyone Else Burns cast
The Everyone Else Burns cast is headed up by Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner) and Kate O’Flynn (The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Landscapers), who play uber religious David and Fiona Lewis. The cast also includes Morgana Robinson (The Windsors), Amy James-Kelly (Gentleman Jack, The Bay, Safe), Lolly Adefope (Shrill, Chivalry, Feel Good), Al Roberts (Stath Lets Flats, Starstruck), Lloyd Griffith (Ted Lasso, It’s a Sin), Kadiff Kirwan (This is Going to Hurt, I May Destroy You, Timewasters), Arsher Ali (Avenue 5, Funny Girl), Kath Hughes (After Life, The Joy of Missing Out), and Seb Cardinal (The Witchfinder, Sally 4Ever).
More about Everyone Else Burns
The press synopsis reads: "Everyone Else Burns is a subversive, authentic and bitingly funny exploration into what it feels like to balance faith, family and identity in a world that could end tomorrow (but probably won’t)."
Talking about Everyone Else Burns, Channel 4’s commissioning editor Laura Riseam says: "We can’t wait for audiences to enter the pressure cooker of life with the Lewis family as they righteously try and defend the ideology and logic of a life of purity with the vices of the modern world encroaching fast. It’s a glorious comedy trap; contemporary, relevant and very funny."
