BBC axes family sitcom

In January, the corporation said that a fourth ten-part series had been commissioned, along with a Christmas special. But it now says the programme will bow out with a festive special later this year, following the finale of series three on Friday.

‘We have decided that the current series of After You've Gone will be the last,’ a BBC spokeswoman told MediaGuardian. ‘We are very proud of the programme and its achievements over the past three years but believe it has now come to a natural end.’

However, it has also been rumoured that the cancellation was down to ITV1’s decision to move Coronation Street into the family comedy’s Friday 8.30pm slot, making it difficult for the BBC to justify running a relatively expensive sitcom in competition,

It is also reported that new BBC One controller Jay Hunt axed the show, which had been commissioned by her predecessor and created by My Family mastermind Fred Barron, as she wanted to put her own stamp on the channel.

Although production had not yet started on series four, the cast had been booked and the crew told to reserve time for filming, so cancellation is still expected to cost the BBC thousands.

The sitcom, about a dad trying to bring up with his children with his mother-in-law, attracted up to 6 million viewers last year, although the current series has been recording ratings of around 3.4 million.

Published: 19 Nov 2008