Catherine Tate's Queen Of Oz axed
The BBC has reportedly axed Catherine Tate sitcom The Queen Of Oz.
The comedy was critically panned when it aired this summer, and lost more than a third of its viewers between its first two episodes.
In the six episodes, Tate played Queen Georgiana, the 'black sheep’ of the Royal Family dispatched to reign in Australia where she would be out of the way.
The opening episode attracted 1.4million viewers on live viewing, with the ratings for episode two plummeting 38 per cent to just 857,000.
Nor was the show a hit with critics
It received a one-star review from the Daily Telegraph’s Anita Singh calling it ‘desperate and lazy,’ while Chortle dismissed the concept as ‘a rude woman shouting’.
In a two-star review the i said ‘it can be difficult to muster enthusiasm for Georgie’s plight’ as Tate’s alter-ego is ‘ quite awful, but in a relentless way that’s seemingly detached from any sympathetic motive’.
And the Mirror’s Ian Hyland ruled: ‘Thanks to David Jason’s The Royal Bodyguard, Queen Of Oz cannot be labelled the worst regal BBC sitcom ever made. It’s a strong second though.’
The Guardian was among the kindest with Lucy Mangan awarding three stars and calling it ‘extraordinary watchable’ if not ‘spectacularly funny’, while the Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine said ‘there is some good stuff here, not least the supporting cast of characters, which are funny and well-written’.
News that the show is not returning was first reported by TV Zone, although the BBC has not commented either way.
It comes six months after her Netflix prison comedy Hard Cell was also axed after one series, with Tate branding the streaming service ‘rude’ for not telling her directly. Instead she found out about the cancellation through someone else’s agent.
And last year her Nan Movie was so critically slated that on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 0 per cent.
However she has just returned to her Doctor Who role of Donna Noble to much greater acclaim.
» Chortle’s Queen Of Oz review.
Published: 13 Dec 2023
Victoria Wood has attacked Ali G for his "horrible"…
1/02/2005
Catherine Tate makes her American TV debut tonight…
23/01/2005
Big-named comedy stars have again joined forces to…
19/01/2005
Jimmy Carr, Mackenzie Crook, pictured, and Jeremy…
14/01/2005
Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams…
11/01/2005
Catherine Tate’s sketch show has been recommissioned…
27/12/2004
The Office has officially passed the comedy torch…
22/12/2004
Some of the circuit’s top comics have been lined…
15/11/2004
Little Britain and The Office are to go head-to-head…
10/11/2004
Lee Mack is to front a new variety show on Radio 2.…
29/06/2004
The Catherine Tate Show has won one of the leading…
14/06/2004
Women are still struggling to be taken seriously in…
18/04/2004
Products
DVD (2012)
The Secret Policemans Ball 2012
DVD (2011)
Barking
DVD (2010)
Catherine Tate Show: Nan’s Christmas Carol
DVD (2010)
Channel 4's Comedy Gala
DVD (2007)
The Catherine Tate Show Christmas Special
DVD (2007)
The Catherine Tate Show Series 3
DVD (2007)
Catherine Tate Comic Relief Special
DVD (2006)
The Catherine Tate Show Series 1 and 2
DVD (2006)
The Catherine Tate Show Series 2.
Book (2006)
Am I Bovvered
DVD (2005)
Catherine Tate Show Series 1
DVD (2004)
Big Train: Complete Series 1 & 2
Past Shows
Agent
We do not currently hold contact details for Catherine Tate's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.