The BBC has reportedly cancelled 'This Town', a musical drama series created by 'Peaky Blinders' mastermind Steven Knight, after just one series. The show, which aired on BBC One from March 31 last year, starred Downton Abbey favourite Michelle Dockery as troubled vocalist Estella.
Despite a strong start with 3.2 million viewers, the six-episode series lost a million viewers by its finale. However, it won the Royal Television Society Award for Limited Series and Single Drama earlier this year.
Creator Steven Knight had expressed hopes for multiple seasons, saying at the BFI launch: 'I certainly have enough ideas for more episodes going forward. I hope we are with these characters for a long time to come.' However, a BBC spokesperson confirmed the show's end, stating: 'We're hugely grateful to Steven Knight and the cast and crew for bringing This Town to life... We look forward to working with him on new projects in the future.'
Dockery, best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley in ITV's Downton Abbey, underwent a dramatic transformation for the role, adopting a Birmingham accent and 1980s hairstyle. She also performed her own vocals, including a rendition of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.
