BBC set to commission second series

Simon Amstell’s sitcom Grandma’s House looks set to be commissioned for a second series.

Although the BBC is still negotiations over the show, another six half-hour episodes are likely to be made for BBC Two towards the end of the year.

The news comes even though the sitcom shed viewers over its first run. Around 1.8million viewers tuned in to the first episode, but ratings slumped to less than half that – 770,000 – by the end.

However, the initially frosty critical reaction thawed as the series progressed and it was nominated for best new comedy at last month’s British Comedy Awards. Even then, Amstell’s acting range was the butt of one of Jonathan Ross’s jokes, when it was described as ‘a performance so wooden Ray Mears tried to build a canoe out of him’.

It is thought the full cast will return for the second series, although the character of Simon's grandfather will have to be written out as actor Geoffrey Hutchings died just before the first series aired.

News of a new series was leaked on Twitter by director Christine Gernon who said: ‘Grandma’s house has been recommissioned for a second series. Happy days.’

Cheryl Taylor, the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning, said: ‘We very much hope that we'll be returning for a second visit to Grandma's House on BBC Two next year.

‘Negotiations have not yet been completed, but when they are we will be able to make an official announcement.’

Published: 1 Feb 2011