Dead Man Weds

Dead Man Weds is a 6-part comedy series shown on ITV on British TV in January and early February 2005. The series was written by Dave Spikey who played the part of Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights. It was produced for ITV by the independent producers Red Production Company. There are two lead parts, one being Dave Spikey and the other being Johnny Vegas. The series is based on the fictional newspaper, The Fogburrow Advertiser. New editor, Gordon Garden, is determined to shake up the small rural newspaper office. Acting editor and all-round lazy slob Lewis Donat is furious at Gordon's appointment, convinced that the job should be his. Lewis's school of journalism involves going on a break as soon as he gets in, stealing stories from old piles of newspapers and getting the rest of the news from Joan at the cake shop, Cake That. The show's title was inspired by a headline from the Bolton Evening News. The series was filmed in Castleton in Derbyshire. The theme music, also used as incidental music and stings throughout the series, was a version of the Jonathan King composition "It's Good News Week", a 1965 hit for Hedgehoppers Anonymous.

Directed by Dave Spikey, Dead Man Weds leans on a strong ensemble — Johnny Vegas, Dave Spikey, Michael Brandon — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2005.