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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Ashleigh Rainbird

Jason Manford hits out at BBC for axing sitcom Scarborough but teases potential return

Jason Manford has hit out at the BBC for axing the sitcom Scarborough, but has hinted that it could return one day.

The show - created and written by Derren Litten, 51, who had previously had success with Benidorm - aired for just one series back in 2019, with it not renewed for a second.

The decision proved quite controversial at the time, with it deemed "classist" by some as the series had been billed as a "working-class" sitcom for middle-aged viewers.

And now cast member Manford, 40, - who starred in the show alongside Coronation Street alum Catherine Tyldesley, 38 - has mooted the prospect of a second series.

Jason Manford and Catherine Tyldesley led the cast of the sitcom Scarborough (BBC)

He said: "I still think it was the wrong decision. Someone makes those decisions in an office somewhere." The comedian however teased: "Nothing’s ever dead [though]."

Scarborough, which aired on BBC One, followed a group of friends who regularly meet up for karaoke in a pub within the seaside resort, that's located in North Yorkshire.

Other cast members in the show included Claire Sweeney, 50, and Jake Canuso, 52 - who had both previously appeared in creator Litten's first sitcom Benidorm on ITV.

Other cast members included Claire Sweeney (BBC)

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Manford's tease about the show's future comes amid his return to touring after lockdown, with him opening up about this at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree.

He commented at the event: "It's a joy. It's lovely to be with people. We are social creatures and need interaction. So it's lovely to get out and be with people again."

His latest tour - titled Like Me - will see him visit places such as Blackpool, Dublin and Cardiff over the coming months - with him saying that it's been "going great" so far.

Manford said it's a 'joy' to be performing on stage again following lockdown (Getty)

The comedian and actor said that audiences have been "really up for it" as recent performances, with it set to take him to Dunstable and Cheltenham in the next few days.

Manford warned stand-up comics shouldn't get too ahead of themselves, saying: "You've got to temper yourself a little bit. You might get carried away thinking you're hilarious."

The tour - which covers the UK and Ireland - is expected to conclude in November, with several of the dates having been rescheduled from periods during the pandemic.

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