Other news - there really will be no more "Psychoville". But Steve P and I have "something else" for you. Only in our minds at the moment...
He didn't give a reason, but poor ratings are most likely why. Series 1 averaged a decnet 1.4m viewers back in 2009, but Series 2 averaged a mere 829,000.
I think there were many factors to this shortfall: the ridiculous two-year gap between series; the lack of a Series 1 repeat to refresh memories or create new fans, meaning Series 2 was mostly impenetrable to newcomers; the lack of promotion by the BBC; the silly decision to air it in the summer (although that's when Series 1 was broadcast); maybe the fact it wasn't that funny in the earlier episodes, so curious newcomers dropped out quickly; and perhaps a widespread feeling the concept didn't justify a second series. Maybe it's all of the above, to varying degrees?
Update, 15/09/11. Reece Shearsmith has now clarified the situation via Twitter:
Re "Psychoville" and "axed"; not quite what happened tbh. WE decided to leave it at two, and NOT be an axed show if they DIDN'T want it.
Anyway, the story came to a fairly solid conclusion. It's probably for the best that they can now come up with something brand new together. Or, in an ideal world, reunite The League Of Gentlemen and do something as a foursome again. This is actually happening, kind of, with the news Shearsmith and Pemberton will appear alongside Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson in kid's comedy Horrible Histories.
What do you think? Are you glad Psychoville's dead and buried, or did it deserve another run?
