Mammoth star wants Arrested Development actor for US adaption

Comedian and actor Mike Bubbins said it would "be a dream" to have Arrested Development star Jason Bateman play his character in the US version of his TV show Mammoth.

The show, created by and starring Bubbins, returned for a second series last year, and a US adaption is now in development.

It follows Tony Mammoth, an old school PE teacher who is frozen in an avalanche in 1979 and revived in 2024, returning to a world that has completely transformed.

Bubbins told Lucy Owen on BBC Radio Wales that it was "very exciting" that his show was being adapted for American audiences.

Bubbins said he found out there was interest in adapting Mammoth for the US when series one was on the air.

"The interest came pretty early on but I wasn't allowed to say anything about it," he said, adding that US producers contacted him after the first three episodes had been released.

"You don't expect that phone call," said Bubbins, who recently interviewed Wales rugby star Gavin Henson for his BBC show Scrum V Top 5.

"They've got to the script writing stage and it's very exciting," he said of the US show.

The actor said he had provided some notes after reading the script but ruled himself out of being cast in the adaptation.

Various names have been put to Bubbins for the lead role, with the Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman mentioned as an option.

However Bubbins has a clear favourite in mind, saying he would like to get Bateman onboard as Tony Mammoth.

"He's really funny and he just makes me laugh," Bubbins said of Bateman, who played Michael Bluth in the comedy series Arrested Development, and also starred in Ozark.

"As long as they're funny then that's great," he said.

Even though he will not reprise his role, Bubbins hopes to make a cameo appearance in the US version, a nod to the show's British roots in a similar way to Ricky Gervais' brief appearance in the US version of The Office.

Mammoth will be joined by comedy series Here We Go in being adapted by BBC Studios for the US market.

Josh Cole, chief creative officer of fiction and comedy at BBC Studios, said Mammoth has a "brilliantly unique premise" and "huge global potential".