Small Prophets becomes the BBC's biggest New Scripted launch of the year
Mackenzie Crooks' heartwarming comedy has become a massive hit
Last updated 15 hours ago
Last month, Mackenzie Crook's latest comedy Small Prophets, was released on BBC Two and iPlayer and it became an instant hit with fans. Following initial viewing figures from Barb, the BBC have now confirmed the show has become their 'biggest new scripted launch of the year'.
Since its launch, episode one of the series attracted a massive 7.7 million viewers in the first 28 days. It has also become the biggest comedy launch (excluding specials) since 2024, when Ludwig was launched.
Meanwhile for BBC Two, Small Prophets has become the biggest comedy episode of the last decade, which included Mackenzie Crook's other popular show The Detectorists, with the Christmas Special in 2022 attracting 4.5 million viewers.
Speaking about the success of Small Prophets, Mackenzie said: "I couldn’t be happier with the response to Small Prophets. The feedback from the audience, the reviews and figures have been better than I dared to hope.
"I gradually crafted this idea over the course of about 10 years and I think it has benefited from that slow percolation. The BBC comedy department has long given me the space, support and trust to make my shows and there is nowhere else I would rather go. The BBC feels like home. I ended Small Prophets with ‘to be continued’ and I hope that is a promise I can keep in the not-too-distant future."
Earlier this month, the viewing figures from Barb revealed the show to be in the Top 5 TV shows during its first week, appearing just behind established shows such as Call The Midwife, Silent Witness and The 1% Club, each attracting 5.1 - 5.6 million viewers.
The show, which stars Pearce Quigley for the lead role of Michael Sleep, along with Sir Michael Palin, has become an instant hit with viewers, and many are calling for a second series.
Small Prophets, which Mackenzie himself describes as a "heartwarming comedy" was inspired by a "little passage in a book about Paracelsus", a medieval Swiss alchemist. According to the BBC: 'The magical and the mundane unfold in a suburban shed as a lonely man stumbles into the supernatural. A weird and wonderful world from Mackenzie Crook, starring Michael Palin.'
Will there be a second series of Small Prophets?
In an interview with Simon Mayo on Greatest Hits Radio, Mackenzie revealed that he would love there to be a second series of Small Prophets, revealing it was all down to the ratings.
He explained: "I finish off the first series with To Be Continued because in an ideal world, I'd love this to go for three series. That's what I've got mapped out in my head, that he goes on this quest, you know, and then slowly finds the answer, slowly pieces the puzzle together," he explained.
"After a few weeks, they'll (the BBC) get the audience figures back and then I guess they don't make a decision about a second series until they've seen that, there's enough people that are interested in it. But, I'm really hopeful. I've had some really lovely reactions from people. So, yeah, and I want to tell the next stage of the story."
Now that the BBC have revealed it's the biggest new scripted launch of the year, fans will be hoping that Mackenzie gets his wish of a second series. However, there is no official word yet from the BBC.
Read more about what Mackenzie Crook had to say about his new series.
How to watch Small Prophets
You can now watch Small Prophets on BBC iPlayer.
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