London, Ont. versus London, U.K.? What happens next is premise of new comedy series

A new TV series is set to begin filming in the Forest City the last week of May. Think Schitt's Creek meets Superstore.

Set in a youth hostel, 18 to 34 will play on the contrast between London, Ont., and London, England and is set to air on Bell Fibe TV1 later this year.

"The show is about second chances and making the best of the opportunities that you're given. And that is something I feel we need in the world right now. And we're trying to sort of bring joy through that through comedy," said co-creator Rahul Chaturvedi.

The six-episode workplace comedy features Misha Patel, an Indian-Canadian woman who loses her high-paying job in New York City and returns to her home in London, Ont., to run her father's youth hostel. Misha's dad, Prem, realizes most of his guests, who are travellers between the ages of 18 and 35, came to the city mistakenly thinking they were travelling to London, England.

The series is created by Charlie Whalley, a Canadian producer behind shows like Ginny & Georgia and Chucky, along with Chaturvedi, a Canadian writer and director who's worked on Late Bloomer and Bollywed. They won the pitch competition at the 2023 Forest City Film Festival and it was picked up by Bell Fibe TV1 for production.

"The story had been in works for a while, and then just having that opportunity to set it somewhere [like London], I think, gave it a natural place," said Chaturvedi on CBC's London Morning.

Each nine-minute episode follows Misha as she navigates the chaos of running a hostel with the help of some eccentric coworkers, all while trying to make sense of her own life.

Some of the local filming locations include the London International Airport and Citi Plaza downtown, where a youth hostel will be constructed.

Mixing up the two cities resonates with Whalley, originally from Australia, who said she was initially confused after moving to Ontario and meeting people who said they were "from London" but didn't have British accents.

"[Then] I found out that there was a London, Ontario," said Whalley. Since then, she's made some visits to the city.

"The nice thing is that everything I've interacted with in London is through the arts. You guys have a thriving arts community that we're really excited to be a part of."

LISTEN | Co-creators of 18 to 35 talk about the workplace comedy on London Morning:

The executive producer is Andrew Phung, the Canadian actor, improvisor and comedian best known for his role as Kimchee in the CBC series Kim's Convenience, and Andrew Pham in Run the Burbs.

"We couldn't have asked for a better mentor, and he's been so hands-on, leading us and guiding us at every step," said Chaturvedi, who said we can expect to see Phung make a cameo in the series.

The majority of the cast and crew are from London, including the lead actor, who has yet to be named.

The show is another boost to the film and television industry in London, this time where the city plays the role of itself.

"It's pretty rare to see the place actually representing itself on screen," said Andrew Dodd, the manager of Film London.

"Usually, we're doubling for either an anonymous location or a city in the USA. So to not only see a Canadian city, an Ontario city, but actually have London be an integral part of the story is a unique and a really fun opportunity for us to showcase London."

18 to 35 will be filmed over eight days and is expected to be released later this year on Bell Fibe TV1.