From a media release:
Bell Fibe TV1 this week debuts Charles™ Charles, a Hamilton-set mockumentary comedy created by Jess Joy and Stephen James and starring Kevin Jollimore (pictured above), Shaeane Jimenez, and Adam Lupis.
The 8 x 10-minute series premieres Thursday, September 11, 2025 on Bell Fibe TV1, and will be available on Fibe TV, channel 1 and the Fibe TV app.
Charles™ Charles centres on Southern Ontario’s most confident but least successful business mogul. When trademarking his own name fails to jumpstart his career, he reluctantly agrees to mentor two young entrepreneurs in the hopes of finally earning the recognition he deserves.
“We set ourselves a challenge in the very beginning,” says Joy. “Could we embrace silliness and absurdity while still keeping it heartfelt and emotional? Our favourite comedies thread that needle so well and we wanted to emulate that.”
Joy and James produced the series under their banner, Adventurous Hermit Films. The series is funded by Bell Canada and supported by senior producer Paul Gardner. Filming took place in Hamilton, Ont., in January.
Joy and James both attended York University but they met through the screenwriting workshops that James runs at LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto).
James is a graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, a participant in the BBC’s new talent development program, Script Room 4, and a runner-up for the UK’s Red Planet Prize for new television writing. Joy wrote, directed, and produced the 2021 short film Lunachicks before partnering with James to develop comedy series formats for television and the web.
“Charles™ Charles has been a unique collaboration because Jess and I shared duties on every aspect of production. We co-wrote, co-directed, and produced as a team. The process worked remarkably well and felt very natural. We’re excited to do it again,” said James.
Image courtesy of Dustin Rabin.
