Channel 4 comedy drama Sirens dropped after one series
Sirens, the comedy drama about a group of paramedics, has been dropped by Channel 4 after just one series.
Based on true stories from the books and blog of real-life ambulance staffer Brian Kellett (aka Tom Reynolds), the 6-part series followed the adventures of three jaded paramedics. The show starred Rhys Thomas as misanthropic Stuart, Richard Madden as handsome Ashley, and Kayvan Novak as inexperienced trainee Rachid, with Amy Beth Hayes as a police sergeant and potential love interest for Stuart.
The Daybreak Pictures production garnered an average audience of 1.08 million, but figures dipped from 1.62 million to just 880,000 by the final episode.
Sirens received mixed reviews from critics and viewers. The Telegraph complained it had an "irritating air of unreality" and a "desperation to appear edgy", whilst The Guardian called the show a "treat". The comic drama topped the list of praised programmes in Channel 4's internal log of viewer correspondence during August.
A Channel 4 spokesperson has confirmed the decision, telling BroadcastNow: "Sirens was commissioned as part of an exciting new crop of dramas for C4 in 2011. We were delighted with the finished show and the fact it consistently engaged with a loyal 16-34 audience but there are currently no plans for a second run."
Rhys Thomas said on Twitter: "To all of those people asking about Sirens, sadly Channel 4 have not commissioned Series 2. So that's your lot I'm afraid."
The star appears to be fairly accepting of the situation, as he later responded to disappointed fans by reasoning: "Come on guys calm down. It's only a TV programme. And less Channel 4 bashing. If it wasn't for them it wouldn't have been made. It's not always a bad thing. There was only one Singing Detective and one Boys From The Black Stuff. At least it never got a chance to go downhill. We all loved the show and are very proud of what we made."
Thomas also Tweeted: "No lie an ambulance just drove past me and the paramedic dipped his lights and said 'Just heard. I'm gutted mate'... hopefully he's talking about Sirens, otherwise I am expecting some real bad news when I get home."
Brian Kellett, whose book the show was based on, also took to Twitter to make a comment. He said: "Obviously Channel 4 are wrong, but at the end of the day I got a TV series made out my book. And got paid enough to clear all my debts."
The programme is currently being piloted by the NBC network in America, with Denis Leary, a star of the long-running firefighter-based drama Rescue Me, attached to the project.
Sirens will be out on DVD in January. Pre-order
Below is the trailer for the show, which ran on TV before the series started:
To find out more about the show, including episode and character guides, and cast interviews, see our guide: