 Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Gyles's god-daughter, Sophie, who is the third lead character, and is the spoilt daughter of a corrupt African politician.Revell is also a stand-up comedian in real life, whilst Brandreth was a Conservative MP between 1992 and 1997, when he served as a government whip in John Major's government.The inspiration for the series came about when the pair met by chance at the Edinburgh Festival and, despite being political opposites, found they got on surprisingly well, and thought this could be the basis for an 'Odd Couple' sitcom.