A sitcom set in the postroom of a personal injury law firm and starring Nigel Havers made its debut last week.

Lunch Monkeys, which debuted on BBC3 on Thursday and was watched by 403,000 viewers, is a six-part series written by former solicitor David Isaac.

Isaac worked for both claimant and defendant personal injury firms during his career before leaving the law to become a writer. His pilot, Admin, was shown on BBC3 in May 2008 and was then commissioned for a full series.

Lunch Monkeys focuses on the lives and mishaps of five young people in the postroom of Fox Cranford. Havers – the son of former attorney general Lord Havers – plays the senior partner, constantly at a loss about how to deal with his staff.

He said he was attracted by working with a young cast: ‘Also, it is very funny. It made me laugh out loud reading it.’

Isaac says the idea came from a period in practice when he had to spend an hour each day in the postroom checking the post. The legal profession is a rich source of humour, he added: ‘You get so many characters in the law, and comedy really works against the contrast of a serious setting.’

A spoof website can be found at www.foxcranford. com.

  • Image courtesy of BBC