One of the BBC’s biggest new comedy success stories is officially coming back for more, with the broadcaster wasting little time in confirming the future of a show that has quietly turned into one of the year’s biggest hits.
Small Prophets will return for a second six-part series, with Mackenzie Crook once again writing and directing as he continues the strange story of Michael Sleep and the magical world hidden within his otherwise ordinary life.
There’s an even bigger change waiting for us when it returns, as series two is being promoted from BBC Two to BBC One, with Crook returning alongside Sir Michael Palin while Pearce Quigley and Lauren Patel will also reprise their roles.
The renewal follows some huge viewing figures for the first series, which averaged 6.3 million viewers across 28 days and saw 82% of its audience watching through BBC iPlayer, while episode one has continued growing and has now been watched by 9.2 million viewers.
Crook says he is “thrilled to have the opportunity to tell the second half of this strange story” and is just as interested as the rest of us to discover what happens next, joking: “The prophets have foretold that series two will be happening next year and, as we know, they are compelled to speak the truth.”
It means that mysterious “to be continued” message at the end of series one really was pointing towards something bigger, and with the BBC saying it is “beyond delighted” to bring Small Prophets back, we can now officially start looking forward to another visit to Marvin Gardens on BBC One next year.
