HARTSWOOD Films has a pretty good pedigree when it comes to comedy. Its executive producer is Beryl Vertue, a legendary figure in showbusiness thanks to her work with the likes of Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and Johnny Speight.

She started as the secretary at their company, Associated London Scripts, in the 1950s, after being recommended for the post by Simpson, an old school friend.

Eventually she became their agent, and numbered Tony Hancock and Frankie Howerd among her clients.

Later, Vertue worked for the Robert Stigwood Organisation and became a TV and movie producer via her own companies, Associated London Films and later Hartswood Films.

The latter is still going strong, and enjoying huge success thanks to Sherlock, which was produced by her daughter, Sue, who is married to the drama’s co-creator, Steven Moffat.

Hartswood was also behind such hits as Jekyll and The Guilty, but its roots – and emphasis – seem to lie in making us laugh. Among the company’s other productions are Men Behaving Badly, Supernova and Coupling.

Vertue and Hartswood are also behind Edge of Heaven, a new, six-part sitcom written by Robert Evans, whose previous credits include Stella and Sadie J.

The cast includes Camille Coduri, best known for playing Rose’s mother in Doctor Who. She plays Judy, a Wham!-loving 1980s throwback who runs a B&B in Margate with her black pudding-enthusiast husband Tandeep (Nitin Kundra).

Her children, recently de-mobbed ex-soldier Ann-Marie (Laura Checkley) and sofa-salesman Alfie, also live there.

The latter is played by Blake Harrison, of The Inbetweeners fame, and much of the plot will focus on his character.

When we first meet the family, Alfie is due to marry fiancee Carly and live happily ever after in Margate. However, he is left shattered at the altar when Carly announces that she no longer wants to tie the knot after a quick snog on her hen night makes her think that there might be more for her in the big, wide world.

The series follows Alfie’s attempts to win back the woman he loves, little realising that someone perhaps more suitable is waiting patiently in the wings for him – Carly’s best friend Michelle (ex- EastEnder Louisa Lytton), who has been carrying a torch for him for years.