TV cameras were trained on Trowbridge this week as the county town became the setting for a new sitcom.

A film crew were in the town yesterday transforming it into the fictional town of Stowebridge to film a pilot episode for a new comedy series for BBC 1.

Writer and director John Morton said: "It is set in a fictional town called Stowebridge which is meant to be somewhere in Wiltshire.

"We wanted somewhere that was not deeply rural but not a big urban scene."

The sitcom, Good News, is set in a regional newspaper office and stars Bristol-born actor Kevin McNally, last seen brandishing a sword as Gibbs in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Most of the filming is to be done in the studio but yesterday the front of Alder King estate agents in Fore Street was transformed into a newspaper office and other areas of the town were filmed as a backdrop to the studio action.

If the pilot episode is a success there would be further filming in the town and the show could be screened next year.

Mr Morton described the show as a character-led comedy that should have a wide-ranging appeal, with the storylines focussing on the staff of the newspaper, with a core group of five actors.

"It is quite a gentle show. It is for BBC 1 so it is not going to be like The League of Gentlemen or some of the shows around now that have a darker humour. It will be easy to watch," he said.

"What we have tried to do is look at the best of the American shows like Friends or Cheers, which are simple ideas but brilliantly achieved. We want it to be witty but accessible.

"It is not about the mechanics of journalism. It is about three-dimensional characters and my strong hope from the beginning is that people will like the characters and want to spend time with them."

Mike Williams, chief executive of the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce, said the cameras were very welcome. "Any publicity is good publicity and hopefully people will recognise it and it will put Trowbridge on the map," he said.

"Trowbridge is the county town and anything that will help promote it in a positive way is to be welcomed."

It is hoped the pilot will be completed during the next month and then the BBC will decide whether to commission a series.

If the show goes ahead it could be hitting our screens at the end of 2007.