Lenny Rush discovers he’s not actually a vampire in new BBC comedy The Reluctant Vampire

Lenny Rush is facing a rather awkward family revelation in The Reluctant Vampire, a new BBC comedy about a boy raised to believe he is a vampire – only to discover he is actually human.

Rush, known for Am I Being Unreasonable?, stars as Val, who has spent his life trying to live up to the expectations of his traditionalist vampire father Victor, played by Tom Davis. When Val learns the truth about himself, he is forced to explore a very different side of his identity while keeping up appearances at home.

Things are complicated further by his suspicious brother Vernon, played by Gabriel Nagy, and his mother Valeeta, played by Fleabag star Sian Clifford, who already knows Val’s secret and is not always the most useful source of advice.

The six-part series also features Asim Chaudhry, Joe Wilkinson, Bill Bailey, Ray Fearon and Charlie Cooper, with the newly released trailer introducing the wider ensemble and the show’s light-hearted take on vampire mythology.

The Reluctant Vampire is based on the books by Eric Morecambe and has been adapted for television by Rob and Neil Gibbons, whose previous work includes Alan Partridge. The series was filmed in Gloucestershire and is directed by Emily McDonald.

With a young lead caught between family expectations and a very inconvenient truth, the comedy looks set to put a playful spin on the classic vampire story.

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The Reluctant Vampire is released in full on BBC iPlayer from 6am on 4^th October 2026, with episode one airing on BBC One at 6.40pm that evening.

Watch the trailer for The Reluctant Vampire here: