More misadventures for Conor and Jock

The BBC has commissioned a second series of Irish comedy The Young Offenders, Chortle can reveal.

The deal for a further six episodes was struck even before the first episode was released on the BBC Three iPlayer channel last week.

Written and directed by Peter Foott the series is based on his 2016 film of the same name. and follows the adventures of teenage tearaways growing up in Cork.

Foott said: ‘The response already to the show has been phenomenal, myself and the whole team have been blown away by it.  

‘To have BBC Three commission a second series so quickly is a dream come true. This level of commitment is incredibly reassuring, and we're keen to continue telling stories involving these characters.’

Alex Murphy and Chris Walley play Conor and Jock, as they did in the movie, while Hilary Rose plays Conor’s mother Mairead, trying to keep both her son and his best friend on the straight and narrow.

Shane Allen, the BBC’s head of comedy commissioning said: ‘It’s vital we back emerging talent to the hilt and believe in this show so much that a second series is an absolute must. 

‘The rare confluence of dazzling performances across this show and in Peter’s writing the strong sense of place and character makes it the quintessential BBC Three comedy. It’s raucous, heart-breaking and consistently hilarious.

BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh added: ‘Commissioning series one was a huge coup for BBC Three so I’m delighted The Young Offenders will be returning to us for a second series. It is exactly the type of daring, original comedy we live for on BBC Three and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with them.’

Episode two of the first series drops on BBC Three at 10am tomorrow, while the opener will air on BBC One at 11.25pm on Friday. It can also be viewed here.

Here is our review of episode one.

Published: 7 Feb 2018