The BBC2 sitcom The Witchfinder is said to have been cancelled after only one season.
A failed witchfinder (Tim Key) transports a suspected witch (Daisy May Cooper) through 1640s East Anglia to a trial that might change his fortunes forever in the comedy.
The witch is ‘an inquisitive, unrefined lady whose capacity to pierce his pomposity and ask awkward questions converts a basic excursion into a life-changing adventure’.
His hostage, on the other hand, is the worst conceivable travel companion.
According to sources, the series’ strong ratings declined over time, despite the fact that it was produced by Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan.
A source shared: ‘The Witchfinder kicked off with decent ratings but quickly plunged to a level where execs just couldn’t justify giving it a second season.’
‘It’s fair to say the concept was fairly niche so it was always going to be tricky finding an audience, even on BBC2,’ they added to The Sun.
Daisy, 36, previously said that she didn’t know what to say regarding 17th-century gender issues because she was afraid of being terminated.
‘When it comes to sort of 1600 gender politics, I don’t know what to say in fear of being cancelled,’ Daisy said when asked whether she was surprised by the blatant sexism of the period.
‘Probably say the wrong thing. Men are b*stards, that’s it, that’s it really. They’ve always been b*stards. There are some alright ones.’
Praising the show as a whole, she added: ‘I think this project’s been going on for like seven years but my God you can see all those seven years of work into this. It’s something really really different. It’s funny.’
Daisy and Tim are joined by a star-studded ensemble that includes Jessica Hynes, Daniel Rigby, Tuwaine Barrett, Reece Shearsmith, Julian Barratt, and Ricky Tomlinson.
The Witchfinder is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
