BBC cancels Boy Meets Girl
- The BBC has said there will be no more series of transgender relationship comedy Boy Meets Girl
- The show's falling viewing figures are thought to be one of the main reasons behind the decision
- The BBC says it feels that, after two series, "the story has reached a natural end point"
BBC Two sitcom Boy Meets Girl has been cancelled after two series.
Chortle reports that the cast of the comedy were told on Monday that they wouldn't be returning for a third series.
The comedy, which launched in 2015, was a romantic sitcom that followed the adventures of a young man and his older, transgender partner, and their families. Created by Elliott Kerrigan, the show starred Rebecca Root, Harry Hepple, Denise Welch, Nigel Betts, Jonny Dixon, Janine Duvitski, Lizzie Roper and Vineeta Rishi.
The show was labelled "groundbreaking" by the press for featuring a transgender actor in the lead role of a comedy and not making transgender issues the butt of any of the jokes.
The Guardian commented: "Perhaps the most striking thing about the BBC's groundbreaking transgender sitcom is just how utterly mainstream it feels. That's not meant as a criticism; it's a shrewd and sensible move to build an accessible family comedy around such radical subject matter."
Rebecca Root, who played the lead character of Judy in the show, posted on Twitter: "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... but yes. The curtain has fallen on Peggy's Cakes. xx"
She added: "Fun while it lasted thanks for watching @BoyMeetsGirlUK now on 2 the next adventure #thatsallfolks #endoftheroad #nomorebmg #hohum #onwards"
A BBC spokesperson said: "We are tremendously proud of BBC Two's Boy Meets Girl, but after two series feel the story has reached a natural end point. We would like to thank the creative team behind the show and, of course, the entire cast."
Series 2 concluded with the marriage of key characters Judy and Leo.
It is believed the decision to axe the show was made in part due to falling ratings. The first series launched in 2015 with 1.5 million viewers, however - according to overnight Barb viewing figures - by the end of the second series in August 2016 it had dropped to under half a million viewers.
Speaking to Chortle, Root suggested that schedule changes - a summer broadcast and moving to a 10pm slot - contributed to the ratings drop. She added: "I'm not a commissioner, but the way I see shows going is that you establish your territory with the first series, you consolidate with the second and then you develop things in the third series - you can then open it up and really get into the meat of the story.
"I felt that while Series 2 didn't have quite the same tone as Series 1 it was establishing a level. We were all looking forward to Series 3 to get going... I felt that they were selling us a bit short by pulling it after two."
Creator Elliott Kerrigan told the website he was "so gutted" about the decision, but added: "I think it's for the best. I want the audience wanting more rather than thinking 'Is that show back again?'"
Referring to the wedding of the central characters, he added: "The ending we had for Series 2 will be hard to top. We even had a round of applause in the final scene to thank the audience for watching."
Fans have taken to social media to register their dismay at the news. One commented: "Noooooo! We needed the next chapter of Leo and Judy!", whilst another called the BBC "Idiots" for dropping the programme.
Offering words of encouragement one viewer posted a message to Root saying: "Oh that's disappointing news, never say never, Birds Of A Feather came back, eventually!!!!!!"
Below is the trailer that was used to promote the show:
A DVD box set is now available to buy.