More episodes 'to be shot this autumn'

Greg Davies is to make a second series of his BBC One comedy The Cleaner.

The stand-up will return as crime scene cleaner Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, but after writing the first series alone, this time he will share the task with others.

He has had to reduce his workload because of his commitment to writing and starring in the forthcoming Sky series Safe Space, in which he will play a psychotherapist.

In January, German industry website DWDL reported that the new episodes will be shot in autumn, and the story was today picked up by the British Comedy Guide.

The first series of The Cleaner aired in a Friday 9:30pm slot last autumn, with episode one attracting 1.9 million viewers on TV, rising to 5.5 million by the end of the year thanks to iPlayer catch-up.

Each episode revolves around a different messy death, which allows for a number of guest stars. Those in series one included David Mitchell, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephanie Cole, Ruth Madeley, Layton Williams and Jo Hartley

The series was adapted from the German comedy Der Tatortreiniger, which ran for 31 episodes between 2011 and 2018

Michael Lehmann of programme-makers Studio Hamburg told DWDL: ‘We are extremely proud of the success and continuation of The Cleaner.  It is finally being given the international honour it deserves. A nice side effect is that we are now suddenly receiving remake requests from other countries’

DWDL also reveals that the BBC paid £350,000 for each episode of the 30-minute comedy.

Published: 26 Apr 2022