Queen Of Oz loses a third of its viewers

Catherine Tate's sitcom proves a turn-off

Catherine Tate’s new sitcom Queen Of Oz shed more than a third of its viewers between its first two episodes.

The opening episode of the comedy – in which she plays an errant minor royal shipped off to Australia – attracted 1.4million viewers.

But last Friday’s second instalment was seen by just 857,000 – a massive 38 per cent down on the opener.

The show also had a strong lead-in from Lee Mack sitcom Not Going Out, which attracted 2million viewers for the opening episode of its 13th series.

These are figures for viewer who watched as it went out – as reported by trade website Broadcast based on figures from overnights.tv – and does not incorporate catch-up viewing. All six episodes of Queen Of Oz are available as an iPlayer boxset.

The show has not been loved by 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 ruling: ‘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’.

» Chortle’s Queen Of Oz review.

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Published: 27 Jun 2023