Piglets to return for Series 2
- Piglets is to return to ITV for a second series
- Actor Ricky Champ revealed the news, saying "It's crazy, because we got absolutely slammed", but adding "It got good [viewing] figures and ITV obviously noticed that"
- Series 2 will be filmed in 2025
Piglets, the ITV comedy series set in a fictional police training college, is to return for a second series.
The network has yet to officially confirm the recommission, but Ricky Champ - who played Sergeant Daz Black in the first series - let slip the news on the Reading Between The Lines podcast.
Created by much the same creative team as made Green Wing, Piglets follows a group of six very different would-be police officers and the handful of key staff whose thankless task it is to knock them into some kind of shape. Lead by Sarah Parish and Mark Heap, the cast list included Callie Cooke, Sam Pote, Sukh Kaur Ojla, Halema Hussain, Abdul Sessay, Jamie Bisping, Rebecca Humphries, Ukweli Roach and Colin McFarlane.
Launched in July, the six-part first series was initially met with a complaint from the Police Federation, who said the sitcom's title was offensive. The broadcast went ahead regardless and the press reviews that followed were, in the main, very negative. A portion of the show's viewers also took to social media to criticise elements such as the show's knockabout "silly" style. However, the episodes also picked up many fans, particularly on ITVX where viewers could binge-watch all six episodes.
Ricky Champ said: "Piglets has been commissioned for Series 2. It's crazy, because we got absolutely slammed. The first series came out and it was met with absolute venom - across the board.
"All these critics... have you ever seen a statue of a critic? No. It was met with venom and we live in a very critical, very negative world at the moment, especially for comedy. Everyone has got their weapons drawn against new comedy. I don't know why.
"Anyway, that happened, and it [the feedback] came back very negative and immediately, I thought, 'That's that done'. You've got to stick your head out the sand but if it doesn't work then on to the next. But then I saw this thing: 'This is rubbish, don't watch this. Episode 2 is even worse guys, and you should see Episode 3... Episode 4, 5 and 6 don't get much better', and it's like 'hang on a minute, why are you watching?'"
He added: "7 million people watched it. ITV has obviously noticed that.... Recommission."
"I got the call from Victoria [producer Victoria Pile]. That'll be [filming it] a big chunk of next year."