BBC cancels Dirk Gently

[philmophlegm]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9295997/BBC-cancels-Dirk-Gently-drama.html

OK, this isn't quite on the Firefly level of infuriating cancellations, but it's still pretty annoying. Apparently ratings were low. Well what do you expect if you tuck something away on BBC f***ing Four with no publicity? This should have been a mainstream comedy drama. The main three actors were all recognisable to a mainstream audience, it's based on a couple of books written by one of this country's most enduringly popular authors and it's (sort of) a detective series, for Arkleseizure's sake! It should have been on BBC2 if not BBC1. Instead, it was tucked out of the way alongside the likes of 'Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys'* and 'Canal Walks with Julia Bradbury'. In a hundred channel environment, BBC4 is not the first place to look for light entertainment / comedy drama.



* This is a real programme. It sounds like a joke programme that a desperate Alan Partridge would come up with to pitch to BBC execs, only for them to shake their heads sadly. To be fair though, tonight's episode takes the former Defence Secretary to Wrexham, so I will watch it.

Comments

[tobyaw]

I didn’t find the cancellation very surprising. While Mangan’s Gently was rather good, Boyd’s MacDuff was a disaster — ill-defined character and motivation, and he sucked the life out of the drama whenever he was on screen. Add to that the inconsistent tone across the episodes, and it didn’t really work as a TV series. Which is a pity.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Hey, I think Mr Portillo is a real discovery as a low-brow documentary presenter, and a lot less irritating than most.

[sally_maria]

The Great Railway Journeys are probably repeats from BBC2 - they've been a nice thing to watch when I come in from work for the last few years. They're not deep but Portillo is actually quite a good presenter and shows every evidence of being genuinely interested in the railways.

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

I think you can add "and BBC4 is not allowed to originate drama any more" to the "apparently ratings were low".