BBC Scotland re-orders a trio of comedy series
BBC Scotland today announced that it has given the go-ahead for second series of three comedy shows. Burnistoun, Limmy's Show and Gary - Tank Commander have all been renewed for new, six-part second series.
Burnistoun, written by and starring Iain Connell and Robert Florence, is a sketch show based around the residents of a fictional Scottish town. The first series, broadcast in March, was widely praised by both press critics and readers of this website.
Limmy's Show, a comedy featuring cult internet star Brian Limond, is the other sketch show that has been re-ordered by BBC Scotland.
The first series, broadcast January, was noted for its mix of vivid characters and surreal one-off sketches. Graham Linehan, the writer of The IT Crowd, is said to be a big fan of the show.
Gary - Tank Commander, a sitcom first shown in November 2009, is the other comedy to be re-commissioned. The programme stars Greg McHugh as a naïve, upbeat soldier who has just returned home from the front line.
All three are produced by Glasgow-based production company The Comedy Unit. The company's Creative Director, Rab Christie, says: "It's unusual for one series to resonate so quickly with the audience so for all three to be recommissioned is fantastic. The new comedies not only have fans in Scotland but, thanks to the internet, all over the world. The Comedy Unit and the writer-performers of each series are thrilled to be given the nod to go again and can't wait for the public to see these new episodes."
Ewan Angus, BBC Scotland's Commissioning Editor for TV, says: "I'm delighted we will be screening new series of these shows which gave our audiences the chance to enjoy a new range of comedy performances. The new commissions underline our commitment to develop innovative and distinctive comedy from Scotland."
The BBC has been criticised from some quarters for only having shown above comedies in Scotland, when many believe the programmes were strong enough to have deserved a nationwide broadcast. There is no news yet on whether these comedies will ever be broadcast in England and Wales - like Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game were - but the BBC has confirmed all three of the new series will be available to those south of the border via the BBC iPlayer. The new series are expected to be broadcast early next year.