One of TV’s biggest stars was almost axed from BBC series ‘days’ before filming-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

A star of Fleabag was nearly cut from the BBC series days before filming began (Picture: Amazon/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

A former BBC executive has revealed Andrew Scott was close to being cut from Fleabag.

The comedy-drama series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge ran for two seasons, airing in 2016 and 2019.

It followed a free-spirited but angry and confused single young woman living in London and received critical acclaim.

Andrew Scott joined the cast in the second season as an unnamed priest, who was affectionately referred to by viewers as ‘Hot Priest’ after he had a dalliance with Phoebe’s titular character.

He won an award at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild the same year.

However, it turns out that he very nearly lost the role after executives demanded somebody else be cast.

Andrew Scott played The Priest in the second season (Picture: BBC/ Two Brothers/ Luke Varley)

Before appearing in Fleabag Andrew already had an impressive list of screen credits, including in Foyle’s War, Sherlock, The Hour and The Town.

But now former BBC Director of Comedy Shane Allen said there were calls to remove him just days before filming.

The TV executive explained that Fleabag’s first season was BBC-funded ‘with the creative freedom that provides’.

His character had a dalliance with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s titular Fleabag (Picture: BBC Picture Archives)

However, after Amazon co-financed the second season, he claimed that ‘a whole raft of US male execs turned up to the read-through and – bear in mind this was a piece exploring self-destructive feminism – proceeded to tear the show apart and demand Andrew Scott was recast with only four days until the shoot started’.

However, Phoebe managed to talk them into supporting her first choice of casting.

‘Anyone less effervescently charming and smart than Phoebe would have buckled,’ Shane added when speaking to the Radio Times.

The actor said last year he loved how invested fans became in the ‘Hot Priest’ (Picture: Getty Images North America)

After Fleabag, Andrew has gone on to appear in Black Mirror, Moden Love, His Dark Materials, Ripley and All of Us Strangers.

Last year the actor said he was still happy to embrace his Hot Priest character and the ongoing affection from fans that comes with it four years after the Fleabag finale.  

‘I think it’s great,’ he told People.

‘It hasn’t prevented me from spreading my wings and it was such a wonderful character and there’s much worse things to be called in life,’ he said.

Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives for Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott for comment.  

Fleabag is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

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