Fry's series cancelled

Stephen Fry’s ITV comedy-drama Kingdom has been cancelled after three series.

The comic announced on his website that the show – in which he plays a small-town solicitor – has not been picked up for a fourth series.

He wrote: ‘I am sorry because it was such a pleasure making them in my beloved Norfolk. I am sorry because the crew of mostly local East Anglians was so cheerful, professional and delightful to work with.

‘Above all, the people of those Norfolk towns and villages on which we descended for days on end. The citizens especially of Castle Rising, Wells-next-the-Sea and above all of Swaffham... They were kind to us, considerate and understanding. It was a charming and cheerful experience for us all.

‘I am lucky to live there much of the time – for the rest of the Kingdom cast and crew it will be a sad farewell that was never properly said.

‘All things must pass. That is why we must be so grateful to Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, and mother of the muses. Heigh ho. Onward and upward.

Kingdom first aired in 2007, with 8.5million tuning in to the first episode, but the third series only drew five million this summer – still enough to put it in the top 30 most popular programmes.

Published: 9 Oct 2009