Mackenzie Crook's series Small Prophets has become the BBC's biggest new scripted launch of the year, attracting 7.7 million viewers for its first episode (28-day figure). The show, created, written and directed by the BAFTA-winning star, has also set records for BBC Two, becoming its biggest comedy episode in a decade.
The six-part series, which concluded on 16 March, features a cast including Sir Michael Palin, Pearce Quigley, Lauren Patel, Sophie Willan, Jon Pointing and Paul Kaye. Produced by BAFTA-winning Gill Isles, it was filmed and set in and around Manchester, incorporating visually stunning animation elements.
BBC iPlayer viewing has been exceptionally high, with 5.9 million streams for episode one, making it the biggest comedy launch on the platform since at least 2022. Four million viewers have already watched the entire series on iPlayer, and the episode has continued to accrue viewing beyond 28 days, now reaching 7.9 million.
Crook 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.' He added that he hopes to continue the story, as the series ended with 'to be continued'.
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, described the show as 'a brilliant success story' and 'exactly the sort of show the BBC does best'. He praised Crook as 'a genius' and noted that the series 'has surpassed all our expectations'.
