BBC sitcom makes surprise return 2 years after death of creator Simon Carlyle
The last episode aired two years ago.
A beloved BBC comedy is set to make a shock comeback for Christmas 2025 despite the death of its creator, Simon Carlyle.
Two Doors Down, which began as a one-off special episode in 2013, became a full series in 2016 and ran until its final outing in December 2023.
The Scottish sitcom follows the lives of the Baird, White, and O’Neal families, who all live on Latimer Crescent – a quiet street in a pleasant suburb of Glasgow.
Four months before the emotional finale of the show, the series’ creator and lead writer Carlyle died aged 48.
After seven seasons and the death of its creator, Doon Mackichan (who played Cathy Whyte on the show) said that Two Doors Down was finishing ‘for now’.
And this comment was reinforced a year later by actor Grado Stevely (who played Alan Edgar) saying that no more episodes of Two Doors Down were expected.
Simon Carlyle died aged 48 in 2023 (Picture: BBC)However it appears that Two Doors Down will come to an actual end with another one-off special to mark Christmas 2025.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Gregor always felt that the show was Simon’s baby – they were his characters. That’s why he said he could not continue.’
Plans have changed, however: ‘But Gregor has finally relented and said yes. It’s great news because the show was just left hanging there for the viewers.’
The main series finished with Michelle (Joy McAvoy) and Alan (Grado Stevely) returning to Glasgow after eloping to Las Vegas to get married, with the grisly details shared for everyone to hear.
Two Doors Down has been on the air since 2013 (Picture: BBC Studios/Anne Binckebanck)It seemed as though that would be it for the popular comedy, which began on BBC Two in Scotland but graduated to BBC One across the UK for its final season in 2023.
Star Elaine C. Smith (who plays Christine O’Neal on the series) said of any future work: ‘I think we have to be really respectful to Gregor because that was like a marriage -they had been writing together for 20 years.
‘Gregor’s grief will be huge as they were locked in an office together for six months of the year.’
The sweet family comedy remains popular after it finished in 2023 (Picture: BBC Studios/Anne Binckebanck)But according to reports from the world of Scottish comedy, the cast has been informed that Gregor has been working on new material for the upcoming special episode.
A Christmas special is apparently in the works (Picture: BBC Studios/Anne Binckebanck)Speaking to The Sun, the source added: ‘Doing a one-off special, rather than writing a whole new series, takes the pressure off of Gregor. Hopefully, if viewers are happy with the results that will encourage Gregor to continue.
‘There really would be no better tribute to Simon than to continue with what he created.’
Despite being set in Glasgow, the series is actually filmed in the Silvertonhill area of Hamilton, a town that lies just over 10 miles to the south of the major city.
While the critical reaction was initially mixed, Two Doors Down won over millions of viewers and eventually became a warmly received and acclaimed series.
By the show’s end in December 2023, the final episode pulled in almost three million viewers across all platforms during its first 30 days after release.
Watch Two Doors Down on BBC iPlayer.
Metro has contacted the BBC for further comment.
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