Two more series commissioned

Channel 4 has confirmed that two more series of Peep Show are on the way.

The new commission will bring the show up to nine series – making it the sitcom Channel 4 has renewed most often.

The seventh series is currently running on Friday nights, but fans will have to wait more than a year until the eighth run, as writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain and stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb are tied up with other projects in 2011.

This current season got off to a rocky start in the ratings, with the opening episode three weeks ago attracting just 885,000 viewers, compared to the 1.8million who tuned in for the debut of the 2009 series. However, audiences picked up with 1.13million watching the second episode.

Although its audiences are relatively modest, it performs well on repeats, on demand and DVD, and Channel 4 consider it a prestige show that helps define the channel.

The broadcaster is dedicating Christmas Eve to the sitcom, including a new behind-the-scenes documentary and a selection of classic episodes.

Published: 17 Dec 2010