Sitcom axed after ten years and 80 episodes

Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps has been axed after ten years and 80 episodes.

New BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said he wanted to clear space in the schedules for new shows, saying: ‘BBC Three is all about giving new writers a chance. It’s now time to give that chance to others.’

Series creator Susan Nickson was the sole writer of 50 of the episodes, and was just 18 when the show began.

She joked: ‘I've had a fantastic time working on Two Pints for the last 50 years but wholeheartedly believe it's the right decision for us all to move on. The crew, the fans, the actors and the writers have become like family over the life of the show in that I see them once a year and ask for money.

‘I'm thankful that we connected to such a large audience for such a long time and brought such happiness to a lot of people and a lot of enjoyable rage to many others.

‘I'm extremely grateful to the BBC for supporting the show and already have plans afoot for future ventures with the corporation.’

The sitcom, about a group of twentysomethings in Runcorn, was often criticised for its crude humour, but attracted good audiences to BBC Three. And it was not afraid to try new things, such as a live episode, a musical episode, and an episode in which the outcome was decided by viewers.

The show had several cast changes over the years, with original star Ralf Little leaving after six series and Sheridan Smith and Kathryn Drysdale were absent from series nine earlier this year.

Will Mellor, who has also been in the show since the start, stars in BBC One’s new sitcom In With The Flynns and BBC Three's White Van Man, while Nickson also created the BBC Three sitcom Grownups, about a slightly older group of twentysomethings.

Here are some facts about Two Pints that the BBC compiled to celebrate its ten-year anniversary:

Published: 23 Jul 2011