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Writer and actor Ryan Sampson has revealed that a Kinky Boots TV series is in the works.
The 2005 film starred Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, a drag queen who helps a man save his failing Northampton shoe factory by encouraging him to produce “kinky boots” – custom footwear for drag performers.
Sampson, who’s best known for starring as Tommo in Brassic, and is also the writer-creator and co-star of Mr Bigstuff, recently confirmed the news to Digital Spy.
He told the publication: “We are working on a Kinky Boots TV series. I’m writing it at the moment. As far as whether I’d star in it, we’ll see how it goes. I’m pitching it to different channels at the moment.”
He added that he’s a massive fan of the movie, saying: “It has really stuck with me since I saw it. With a TV series, you could go into more depth with the story.”
Directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, the original film was inspired by the 1999 documentary Trouble at the Top: The Kinky Boot Factory.
The series told the true story of Steve Pateman, who took over from his father as the boss of WJ Brookes – a traditional shoe factory in Northamptonshire – and was persuaded by an unexpected phone call from business owner Sue Sheppard to think about expansion into “kinky boots”.
In the film, Sue was fictionalised into the drag queen Lola, while Steve became Charlie.
The movie was adapted into a musical in 2012, which premiered at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, before transferring to Broadway and the West End.
A new production of the show is currently running at the London Coliseum, the largest theatre in London’s West End, with a score by Cyndi Lauper and starring the likes of Matt Cardle and Johannes Radebe.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
