Fans of David Mitchell's hit Dave series Outsiders will have been disappointed on Thursday after it was confirmed that the channel had cancelled the show.
The news was revealed at the Edinburgh TV Festival, and it was confirmed that the show was dropped due to David's busy schedule. An executive from UKTV, which produced the show, said: "It is not currently returning and we have announced that. Would we look at that show again in the future? Maybe.
"Not currently. He loved doing it. We loved working with him. We definitely would be interested in other ideas with David Mitchell... We have a fantastic relationship with him. He is a stunning piece of talent."
They continued: "What a dreadful phrase that is. But yeah, fresh new interesting ideas, he is pretty busy. He is quite a difficult man to get a lunch appointment with. We never say never absolutely."
Fans had loved the series when it was on, as one said: "Thank you TikTok for introducing me to David Mitchell's Outsiders — this is unpaid therapy post a level chemistry revision," while a second added: "Show is so good - Improv and comedy at its best. All teams complement each other and it’s still competitive."
Reacting to its cancellation, a third said: "Bummer, but not surprised. Hard to keep an ensemble show going when your main star's schedule is packed."
What was Outsiders about?
Launched in 2021, Outsiders was a comedy game show which saw three teams of two comedians compete to survive in the outside world, earning medals for completing various tasks.
Upon its inception, the series was immediately compared to Dave's smash hit show, Taskmaster, which was hosted by Greg Davies and Alex Horne.
What else is David Mitchell working on?
David's biggest project at the moment is the upcoming second series of his smash crime-comedy, Ludwig, which fans are hoping will return in autumn 2025.
Back in March, Anna Maxwell Martin, who stars alongside David in the series, told HELLO!: "I don't have a clue what's going on! When I get dropped off at the location, I'll just see what's happening."
David is also keeping schtum about the series, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "I can't tease anything. The scripts are being written now, and it wouldn't help any viewers to know any more about it than that. We will be shooting this year.
"Our hope and aim is to give more of the same: the ongoing, intriguing narrative and the same weekly, resolved mystery.
"Other than that, I don't really know much more, but I'm also under instructions not to say any more! I'm big on going into a program knowing only the bare minimum because surprise is a huge part of entertainment."