BBC axe drama after just one series in huge surprise to show's Oscar nominated creator who believed it could ‘run & run'
OFF AIR BBC axe drama after just one series in huge surprise to show's Oscar nominated creator who believed it could 'run & run'
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STEVEN KNIGHT is a man in demand, with a James Bond movie script to deliver and Oasis' tour documentary to oversee.
So hopefully his busy diary will soften the blow of the news I can reveal that the BBC has axed his critically-acclaimed drama This Town after just one series.
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The BBC has axed Steven Knight's critically-acclaimed drama This Town after just one series
Credit: PA
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Knight is a man in demand, with a James Bond movie script to deliver and Oasis' tour doc to oversee
Credit: Getty
The saga was the writer's love letter to the music scene that flourished in his native West Midlands in the 1980s and featured songs from Birmingham and Coventry bands, such as UB40 and The Specials.
Steven saw it as his next massive hit after Peaky Blinders and felt it could run and run, in the same way the Brummie gangster epic did.
He made no secret of wanting to film more episodes of This Town, commenting at the time the first series aired: 'I certainly have enough ideas for more episodes going forward.
'I hope we are with these characters for a long time to come.'
But cancelling the drama, a BBC spokesman said: 'We're hugely grateful to Steven Knight and the cast and crew for bringing This Town to life — in no small part due to Steven's passion for the West Midlands.
'We look forward to working with him on new projects in the future and we're in talks about what's next.'
This Town won the Royal Television Society Award for Limited Series and Single Drama earlier this year.
But it lost more than a million viewers over its six-week run, having pulled in more than 3.2million for the first episode at the end of March last year.
A BBC insider confirmed that Steven's busy schedule, which also includes writing ten-episode World War Two epic Roads To Freedom, was not a reason for the decision.
Neither can the blame be placed on the cast, which included Michelle Dockery, not being available.
Iconic TV channel axe all UK music production after almost three decades as it becomes latest casualty of streaming
The decision to kill it off represents a rare failure for the man with the golden laptop, who created wartime thriller SAS: Rogue Heroes and six series of Peaky Blinders, as well as being co-creator of quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.
Perhaps he could Phone A Friend and revive This Town in the future.
TEENS ON TOAST, PLEASE
IN my day, teenage dinners meant takeaway pizza, beans on toast or a trip to the local kebab shop.
But it seems that youngsters now are far more accomplished in the kitchen than I was.
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Casting has opened up for any eager youngsters to feature on Come Dine With Me
So much so that E4 has launched its first ever teen special of Come Dine With Me.
Continuing celebrations in the show's 20th anniversary year, Come Dine With Me Teens will see five teenagers try their hand at cooking up their own menu and hosting their own dinner parties over five nights.
The 16 to 19-year-old competitors will score each other's efforts with a mark out of ten, like in the main show. And the overall winner will scoop a £1,000 prize.
Casting has opened up for any eager youngsters in Greater Manchester.
For more information, go to channel4.com/takepart.
NEW mockumentary The Paper will pick up where the US version of The Office left off.
Coming to Sky Max on September 5, it follows the documentary crew that immortalised Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch as they tackle a new subject – a historic Midwestern newspaper.
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