First Look at Lenny Rush in New BBC Comedy The Reluctant Vampire
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Last Updated on September 24, 2026 by Stefanie Hutson
Lenny Rush is trading Slow Horses for vampires in The Reluctant Vampire, a new six-part BBC comedy based on the children’s books by British comedy legend Eric Morecambe. After a lengthy development and production period, the BBC has now confirmed when UK viewers will finally get to see it.
What Is The Reluctant Vampire About?
Rush stars as Val, a teenager who has been raised in a perfectly conventional vampire family. Unfortunately, he’s never been particularly good at the bloodthirsty traditions expected of him, and eventually he makes a discovery that explains why: despite everything he’s been told, Val isn’t actually a vampire.
The series takes place in an otherwise ordinary English village with one particularly notable feature: a vampire castle looming over it. By day, Val secretly explores his newly discovered human side with the help of local girl Gertie, played by Ellie-May Sheridan. At home, he has to keep pretending to be a vampire while dealing with his tradition-obsessed father Victor, suspicious brother Vernon and mother Valeeta, who already knows his secret.
The six episodes will run approximately 30 minutes each.
Wondering where the series came from? Although Eric Morecambe is best remembered as one half of the enormously successful comedy partnership Morecambe and Wise, he also wrote fiction later in his career. The Reluctant Vampire was first published in 1982 and introduced Valentine, a vampire prince with decidedly unconventional tastes. Rather than craving blood, the young vampire preferred things like chips and red wine, which was a bit awkward for his family. Morecambe followed it with The Vampire’s Revenge in 1983.
The television adaptation has been written by brothers Rob and Neil Gibbons, whose previous credits include several Alan Partridge projects. Eric Morecambe’s son Gary Morecambe has also been involved as a script consultant, helping connect the new series with his father’s original work.
Who’s in the Cast of The Reluctant Vampire?
Lenny Rush leads the series as Val. Rush won a BAFTA for his performance in Am I Being Unreasonable? and has since appeared in Doctor Who and Slow Horses. He’s also set to play Dobby in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.
Tom Davis (King Gary, Wonka) plays Val’s father Victor, while Sian Clifford (Fleabag) stars as his mother Valeeta. Gabriel Nagy plays Val’s suspicious brother Vernon, and Ellie-May Sheridan (Dodger) appears as Gertie, the human girl who helps him explore life outside his vampire family.
The supporting cast is full of familiar British comedy talents. Charlie Cooper (This Country), Joe Wilkinson (After Life), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts), Esther Smith (Trying) and Ray Fearon (Not Going Out) all appear. Bill Bailey (Black Books) and Ross Noble also play a pair of gargoyles watching events from the castle above.
Who’s Making The Reluctant Vampire?
Rob and Neil Gibbons wrote the series, with Emily McDonald directing and Ali Marlow serving as producer. Shane Allen executive produces for Boffola Pictures, the production company whose other credits include Am I Being Unreasonable? and The Power of Parker.
The series is a BBC and ZDFneo co-production, with the German broadcaster also involved in the project. BBC Studios, which holds a minority stake in Boffola Pictures, is handling international sales.
When Will The Reluctant Vampire Premiere?
In the UK, The Reluctant Vampire premieres Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 6:40 p.m. on BBC One. The full six-episode season will also be released as a box set on BBC iPlayer that day.
For American viewers, there’s no confirmed US streaming service or premiere date yet. BBC Studios is handling international sales for the series, but no North American deal has been announced (but really, it's still early – we'd expect to see SOMEONE snap it up before too long). In the meantime, we can enjoy the trailer – and if you like what you see, we encourage you to reach out to your favorite British streaming service to request it.
