Hugh Bonneville loves his Twenty Twenty Six character, but why?
Hugh Bonneville has opened up about his role in Twenty Twenty Six, the new BBC series.
Hugh Bonneville relished his role in Twenty Twenty Six.
The 62-year-old actor has reprised the role of Ian Fletcher to star in the new six-part fictional comedy series.
Hugh - whose character joins the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team for the upcoming World Cup - told the BBC: "It’s a six-part BBC series in which I reprise my role as Ian Fletcher.
"Formerly Head of Deliverance for the Twenty Twelve Games, Ian went on to be Head of Values for the BBC at its headquarters in London, W1A. Recently, he has been parachuted into an international football organisation as Director of Integrity, overseeing a major tournament that is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States of America in the summer of 2026. What could possibly go wrong?"
The actor revealed what he loves about his on-screen character.
Asked what aspects of his character he enjoys, Hugh replied: "Bewilderment and panic in the face of a ticking clock.
"We've all been in meetings in which someone says they'll do something by Thursday ... but we know instinctively that they absolutely won’t. So, how do you lead a team with people like that around the table? That's fun to play, the sense of everything on the agenda speeding towards a brick wall. Ian has to contend with that every day."
In Twenty Twenty Six, Ian heads to the US, Canada and Mexico to help with the organisation of the 2026 World Cup.
John Morton, the series creator, previously said: "I wasn’t sure what Ian Fletcher had been up to recently. The last I heard he was still recovering from a serious Mindfulness Course in Somerset. So, it’s great to hear that he’s made it back and has re-emerged in his natural habitat at the centre of a well-known institution, but now on the world stage and facing his biggest opportunity yet to get things right.
"I’m thrilled and hugely grateful to the BBC for giving me the chance to follow him again, this time all the way to Miami, and I literally can’t wait to see what happens."
