Lee Mack’s Semi-Detached sitcom axed by the BBC

Lee Mack’s sitcom Semi-Detached has been axed after just one season.

The 52-year-old comedy star led the cast of the BBC Two comedy as wedding DJ and perennial loser Stuart, who faces a mid-life crisis with his ex-wife living a few feet from his new family.

Set in a suburban cul-de-sac, the series followed Lee’s character Stuart in real-time, with each episode a 30-minute window into his claustrophobic, complicated life.

Writer Oliver Maltman took to Twitter to confirm the show had not been renewed for a second season.

He wrote: ‘Regrettably, we won’t be returning for a second series, but we’re very fortunate the BBC gave us such free rein with our ideas and so lucky to have worked with such an amazing cast and crew.’

Game of Thrones’ Samantha Spiro and The Windsors’ Ellie White played Stuart’s ex-wife and new, much younger girlfriend respectively, with other cast members including Patrick Baladi (The Office) and Neil Fitzmaurice (Peep Show).

Lee previously revealed the talented cast left him doubting his own ability, as he believed they were all far better actors than he is.

He said: ‘They really were an amazingly good cast. I was surrounded by people that are far more experienced actors than me, especially in the world of comedy acting.

‘I was nervous, I turned up thinking, “Can I do this? These guys are much, much better than me,” and they were brilliant.’

The comedian has previously had success with his long-running BBC sitcom Not Going Out, which has so far clocked up 11 seasons.

Discussing the Semi-Detached’s decision to follow Stuart for the full episode, Lee admitted it had been ‘a challenge’.

He continued: ‘I think there was one scene, the only time in the whole series, where the camera follows someone else.

‘I’m not in every shot so sometimes it’s cut between different characters, but my character is in every scene.’

This intense focus on his character sharpened up Lee’s respect for actors, as he revealed: ‘I used to complain that actors say, “I’m tired” but now I’m like, “I’ll keep my mouth shut when actors complain it’s tiring.”’

The series aired for six episodes last year.

Semi-Detached is available to stream on BBC iPlayer until mid-July.

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