...as Kieran Hodgson joins the cast

BBC Two has ordered a Christmas special for Two Doors Down.

The one-off episode will come ahead of a third six-part series, as originally announced in December last year.

Filming is currently under way in Glasgow area and at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton Studios, with most of the main cast returning – including Arabella Weir, Elaine C Smith, Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson.

But Sharon Rooney is leaving the show, with writers having her character Sophie move to Wales to explain her absence.

In her place, character comedian Kieran Hodgson is joining the show as new character Gordon, the boyfriend of Beth and Eric’s son Ian (Jamie Quinn).

Scottish wrestler Grado, who has previously played PC Hugh McKirdie in the sitcom Scot Squad, will also be making a guest appearance in the 2018 series.

Shane Allen, the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning, said:  ‘Two Doors Down precisely captures the raucous comedy voice of modern Scotland with these terrific characters and has become a firm favourite with the BBC Two audience.’

And BBC Studios executive producer Steve Canny said: ‘We’re completely delighted to have the writers, cast and crew back and working away on seven new episodes.  

‘Two Doors Down is a rare thing – a show that gets richer and finer and funnier as you delve deeper in to the lives of the characters.  We have plenty of knock-out funny things in store for the Christmas special and the series that will follow early in 2018.’

In the festive special, Beth (Weir) and Eric (Alex Norton) plan to have a quiet Christmas on their own in Latimer Crescent – but find themselves swamped by neighbours. 

Two Doors Down, which is written by Gregor Sharp and Simon Carlyle, started with a Hogmanay special in 2013. 

Series two, shown at the end of 2016,  averaged more than a million viewers in the UK and double the average numbers of viewers for the timeslot in Scotland. And earlier this year the show won best comedy at the Royal Television Society Scotland awards.

Published: 19 Oct 2017