W1A and Twenty Twelve creator takes us behind the pen on his all-new series Twenty Twenty Six

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John Morton is reflecting on how his career has unfolded. He didn’t initially intend to create ‘W1A’ while working on ‘Twenty Twelve,’ and he never imagined he’d be writing a follow-up series after ‘W1A’ ended.

It’s now 2026, fifteen years after the show first aired, and Hugh Bonneville is back as Fletcher. He’s just as charming and confused as ever, finding himself in Miami working as a director of integrity for the 2026 World Cup. He’s leading a new team in a strategic operations group, trying to keep everything on track.

Morton explains that at the start of the series, she wanted to reveal a vulnerable side of Ian, showing him as a newcomer navigating a new school and questioning who he could rely on. She portrays him as someone asking simple, relatable questions like ‘Where do I sit?’ and ‘Who can I trust?’

As a total film buff, I found it fascinating how the director explored how 24/7 social media has really changed the character of Fletcher over time. It’s like he’s always firefighting, constantly trying to control the story instead of shaping it. It rings so true – you see it everywhere, in politics, any organization with a public face, even just think about being a school principal. Something happens, and there’s no time to even catch your breath before you have to respond.

Although Fletcher is in a completely unfamiliar and chaotic situation, he’s fundamentally a good person trying to make the best decisions he can. Organizing the World Cup is an incredibly difficult task, and he’s working with a far more diverse and challenging team than ever before.

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Morton describes Fletcher as embodying a very specific, almost stereotypical version of British culture – jokingly comparing it to the ‘BBC type.’ This raises the question of whether Ian and Morton still have more to say about the BBC, especially nine years after their show, W1A. With the BBC facing constant challenges and controversies – from the Gaza conflict to legal issues with the US President – and as it negotiates its future funding, wouldn’t bringing Fletcher back to Broadcasting House for more comedic disruption be a good idea?

I don’t fully recall the reasons behind the show W1A ending, but every idea has its limits, he explains. He emphasizes that his shows aren’t meant to criticize any organization. He aims to portray imperfect people doing their best, which he feels accurately describes the BBC, especially when the focus shifts to the corporation itself.

All organizations have weaknesses, but the BBC stands out because it’s remarkably open about its own. That willingness to acknowledge its flaws is something I really respect, and it’s a major asset for our country.

Morton excels at portraying everyday human flaws and the subtle power dynamics found in any workplace. He acknowledges he doesn’t enjoy harsh, biting satire – his novel Twenty Twenty Six barely mentions President Trump, for instance. He describes his work as gentler and closely mirroring real life, even if it’s a slightly altered version.

He has a simple rule when his characters talk about real people: whatever they say must be completely false. This leads to some hilariously strange moments, like when the narrator, David Tennant, claims Selena Gomez was doing a photoshoot to promote her “new range of opinions.”

Morton also spent time in Chicago and Miami speaking with people in the US soccer world, but he deliberately avoided including their stories to prevent obvious comparisons to real life. He’s kept many inside details and observations private over the years, sharing only one consciously in his work. He couldn’t resist using the detail about Olympic officials arriving at work on folding bikes that they couldn’t actually fold – it made its way into the story through the character of Fletcher.

He enjoys paying attention to what people say, but rarely takes notes. He prefers to fully experience things – he might watch a few minutes of local news from Miami to get a feel for the atmosphere, but he doesn’t consider that to be actual research.

I’m a bit worried about the future of this show, honestly. By making the whole story revolve around something that happens weeks after the finale, I don’t see how they can realistically create another season. It feels like they’ve painted themselves into a corner – where could they even take Fletcher’s story next?

He notes that the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, but explains he’s deeply invested in his characters and the actors portraying them. He’s dedicated the last two and a half years completely to this project, working at full speed, despite being a slow writer. He compares his current feelings to those of Olympic rower Steve Redgrave, who famously said he never wanted to get in a boat again after winning gold, adding, ‘That’s exactly how I feel right now.’

Twenty Twenty Six begins on Wednesday 8 April at 10pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Authors

Robin Parker

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2026-04-01 10:40