How Wheels Came Off Apple TV+’s Noel Fielding Comedy ‘Dick Turpin’

The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin was Apple TV+’s high jinks vehicle for the very best of British comedy talent, but there’s nothing whimsical about the series coming to a clattering halt this week.

Production has ceased on Season 2 of the Big Talk Studios series about an 18th-century highway robber, putting a cast and crew of hundreds out of work with nothing to show for their efforts. Filmed footage cannot be fashioned into a scaled-back season and there is no hope of getting the show back on the road, according to three sources familiar with Dick Turpin’s demise.

At the center of this highly unusual situation is Noel Fielding, the comedy’s titular character, who is also known to American viewers as the co-host of The Great British Baking Show. The star, who shot to fame in surrealist noughties comedy The Mighty Boosh, failed to return to set after the festive holiday, throwing the production into chaos. The Sun newspaper, which first revealed that Dick Turpin had shuttered, said Fielding was in France, with a production source telling us that he left the UK over Christmas. Apple TV+ and Big Talk declined to comment.

Created by Claire Downes, Stuart Lane, and Ian Jarvis, Dick Turpin leaned into Fielding’s sense of mischief and eye for the absurd. The character allowed him to play a (not entirely) swashbuckling showman amid a supporting cast of top British talent, including Hugh Bonneville, Mark Heap, Tamsin Greig, Asim Chaudhry, Dolly Wells, and Jessica Hynes.

Production insiders said Fielding was unavailable to hit scheduled and rescheduled Season 2 filming dates, meaning he effectively pulled out of the shoot and the series “ran out of road.” Fielding’s agent at PBJ Management denied he dropped out. The rep said “one of the main cast members who has not been well is not recovered enough to complete the filming” and it was “hugely disappointing” for all concerned. People close to Dick Turpin said the “main cast member” was Fielding. 

There were murmurs about issues regarding Fielding’s availability during Season 1, but a source said the series was renewed because he was completely committed to the project. He was given a full-blooded writing credit on Season 2 after serving as a script consultant on the first season, while other accommodations were made to ensure he was comfortable on-set, including carefully tailored shooting schedules and other support.

His Season 2 exit came around three-quarters of the way into the shoot. Big Talk is currently picking up the pieces of the multi-million-dollar shutdown, including informing an array of British acting talent that their performances are unlikely to ever be seen on Apple TV+. Deadline can reveal that stars who signed up for Season 2 included Jason Isaacs, Dawn French, Miranda Richardson, and Jamie and Natasia Demetriou. 

Sources said Apple and Big Talk are working to ensure there is not a dramatic loss of earnings for cast and crew, though it is likely that pay packets will be hit. It is understood that Big Talk was unable to secure insurance for the issue that shuttered the shoot. Fielding is expected to be paid for services rendered but there are questions over whether he will receive his full Season 2 paycheck because of force majeure clauses set out in Equity union contracts. The shutdown is also likely to have a knock-on effect on post-production, with companies like Lola Post Production at risk of losing work.

Dick Turpin was greenlit by Jay Hunt, Apple TV+’s creative director in Europe. She has long been a supporter of Fielding, installing him as a presenter on The Great British Bake Off (as it is known in the UK) during her time as Channel 4’s content chief. Two sources said she had worked with Big Talk to find solutions.

Questions are now emerging over whether Fielding will be able to continue with his duties on The Great British Bake Off, the Love Productions series that usually shoots from late April. A source close to the cooking competition said it was not impacted by the issues on Dick Turpin, but did not respond to questions about Fielding’s future as co-host alongside Alison Hammond on Season 16. He has missed filming in the past, including being absent for some of the Bake Off finale in 2022 because of illness. Fielding also serves as a team captain on Sky comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Sky has not confirmed if the show will return for Season 5 this year.

As for ITV Studios-backed Big Talk, sources hope The Completely Made-Up Adventures… brand can continue with another historical figure at some point in the future. The escapades of Dick Turpin have come to an abrupt halt, but it may not be the end of the road for the concept.