Mumbai: ComediHa! Distribution and Zone3 have announced the sale of the adapted format of the popular show In Lieu of Flowers to Italian production company Stand By Me.

Produced by Zone3 and shot in front of a live audience, In Lieu of Flowers is a variety show with a twist where celebrity guests attend their own fully improvised funeral services, upending the darkness of death with comedy and drama.

Hosted by Patrice L’Écuyer for the past 12 seasons on ICI Radio-Canada Télé, each episode features the recently departed and the people closest to them.

The audience is presented with a short fictional account of the circumstances surrounding the person’s death. Their loved ones then take turns in the spotlight delivering their eulogies—a mix of monologues, variety acts (singing, dancing), comedy sketches and testimonials—all dedicated to the deceased. The guest star stands alone in the corner of the stage, watching their memorial service as they’re confronted with the ups and downs of their life and what a colourful life they’ve led!