Five dumps acclaimed sitcom

Channel Five has dropped Tina Fey’s acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock because of poor viewing figures.

The third series of the satire – which has won ten Emmy awards and five Golden Globes – has now been picked up by Comedy Central, which will air it in the UK from Monday.

The first series attracted around 500,000 viewers when it was screened on Five, which fell to around 100,000 when it moved to Five USA fro the second series.

A Five spokeswoman said: ‘30 Rock just didn't find a big enough audience in the UK, although it was critically well-received.’

Jill Offman, managing director of Comedy Central in the UK, said: ‘30 Rock is considered the best comedy on TV so it fits perfectly with our other award-winning shows like South Park, Two And A Half Men, The Sarah Silverman Program and The Office.

‘Our team is passionate about it, we feel we can do a lot with it and it cements our reputation as the home of the best modern comedy on television.’

Series three of 30 Rock, set behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-style comedy show, will debut on Comedy Central at 10pm on Monday.

Here is a montage of clips featuring the show's resident medic, Dr Spaceman:

Published: 1 Oct 2009