BBC2's Victorian medical comedy Quacks has been cancelled

Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning at the BBC, confirmed the cancellation in response to a letter from a reader in this week's issue of the magazine. Asked by fan Caroline Caudwell when the show – which centres around four pioneering Victorian-era doctors – will return, Allen cites limited space in the schedule for there being 'no plans' to bring Quacks back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hUZlh2AqfQ

"Dear Caroline," he writes, "thanks so much for your kind words about Quacks. Sadly there are currently no plans for another series as we don't have the room to bring everything back – we have a set amount of sitcoms and need to bring through new shows each year."

Quacks was created by James Wood, the man behind fellow BBC2 comedy Rev. It starred Rory Kinnear, Mathew Baynton, Tom Basden and Rupert Everett, alongside Lydia Leonard, as four medical pioneers trying to practice medicine in Victorian London – with mixed results. It received mostly positive reviews from critics – including favourable comparisons to Blackadder – and enjoyed relatively strong ratings for its time slot.

Allen goes on to sing the praises of upcoming comedies like Toby Jones' Don't Forget the Driver and Defending the Guilty, which will feature Katherine Parkinson and Will Sharpe, before mentioning the returns of other shows that Caroline may enjoy.

"We welcome back Mum, Motherland, Inside No 9 and Two Doors Down as returning series," he adds, "so perhaps you could enjoy having the funny bone tickled as opposed to sawn off!"

The week's Radio Times magazine is available in shops from Tuesday 18th September