A once-overlooked Prime Video drama with exceptional ratings featured the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’.
Jonathan Bailey has been named ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by People magazine.
Bailey, who is well-known for his roles in Bridgerton and Wicked, has made history as the first openly gay man to receive this accolade.
He described the recognition as a ‘huge honor’ and ‘completely absurd,’ expressing that he is ‘incredibly flattered’.
Previously, John Krasinski held this title in 2024.
Before his upcoming role as Prince Fiyero in Wicked: For Good, set for release on November 21, fans can watch Bailey in a British comedy series available on Prime Video.
This series originally aired on the BBC in 2014, and some fans might have overlooked or forgotten it.
Bailey is joined by a remarkable cast of British television icons in this series, which ran for three seasons.
The comedy series, presented in a mockumentary format, offers a satirical look at the internal workings of the BBC. It follows Ian Fletcher (portrayed by Hugh Bonneville from Downton Abbey), who transitions from managing the Olympic Deliverance Commission to becoming the Head of Values at the BBC.
His responsibility involves clarifying the BBC’s mission and preparing it for future challenges.
Despite his efforts to fulfill his duties, he faces obstacles from a PR firm, led by Siobhan Sharpe (played by Jessica Hynes from Death of a Unicorn), with unusual branding ideas.
Fletcher also deals with media scrutiny, restructuring challenges, and the use of vacuous corporate jargon.
The show, titled W1A, is named after the ZIP Code of the BBC’s central London headquarters.
W1A serves as a follow-up to the BAFTA-winning series Twenty Twelve, which humorously depicted the preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
In W1A, Bailey portrays Jack Patterson, a well-meaning but somewhat inexperienced junior member of the BBC team, specializing in social media.
Additionally, David Tennant from Doctor Who serves as the narrator for the series.
The series has achieved a near-perfect 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes over its three seasons.
Critics have praised it as ‘witty,’ ‘joyous,’ and ‘brilliant’.
Discussions among viewers on Reddit highlight its appeal: one user commented, “I love how it captures the subtlety of the language, corporate interactions, and the sucker in me loves the little realistic sub-plots too.”
Another viewer remarked, “It’s crazy to me this show doesn’t have a bigger following,” followed by a third expressing agreement, “I agree! It’s a wonderful show.”
One person concluded, “BBC has created some great comedy, but Twenty Twelve and W1A are close to perfect. Great scripts and perfect understated performances.”
W1A is available for streaming on Prime Video via BritBox in the US and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.