Alan Davies tweets the news...

BBC Two has axed the kitchen sitcom Whites, its star Alan Davies has revealed.

The QI regular, who played a celebrity chef in the series, Tweeted this afternoon: ‘Just heard Whites was cancelled by the BBC last week. Gutted. Worst news I've had in my whole career. Thanks to all who watched the show.’

And Peep Show’s Isy Suttie, who played waitress Kiki in the series, added: ‘Just heard our BBC2 series Whites has been cancelled. I am so sad. Thanks so much to everyone who watched and supported the show.’

The show, which also starred Katherine Parkinson, attracted fairly typical ratings for a BBC Two sitcom. It started in September with an audience of 2.37 million, slipping to 1.58 million by the end of the six-part series.

It was written by Matt King, who plays Superhans in Peep Show, with Oliver Lansley.

Earlier this year, BBC comedy commissioner Cheryl Taylor admitted her department would have to cut successful shows to make way for new ones, given she had a limited budget.

She said: ‘BBC Two in particular has had a gobsmacking year, but that leaves us with a problem , but that leaves us with a problem - albeit a nice one.

‘I'm looking at that list of hits from last year, thinking “Which do you not give a second chance to?”. We are in an enviable position in terms of plaudits, but an unenviable position of having to make some tough decisions.'

Published: 1 Mar 2011