Writer who financed show himself tells how he was at a low ebb before
Netflix took on uncompromising series
![Hapless: will this quirky sitcom be the UK answer to Curb Your Enthusiasm?](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cad5ff90e8bd2df8a39d53826649664cd66627dc/60_0_1800_1080/master/1800.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdG8tZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=6b61b83a203bb26a83f41d9fded3de3c)
A forthright, quirky, London-based sitcom, filmed by a crew of just seven and funded by the writer’s own savings, has been bought by Netflix and is to be screened from the beginning of November, streamed alongside international shows made for 10 times the budget.
The show, Hapless, stars Tim Downie, an
Actor already known for roles in the television drama Outlander and the
BBC Two
comedy Upstart Crow, and follows the investigations and misadventures of a reporter on a small Jewish newspaper.