Wallpaper stays up

...but Echo Beach falls silent

ITV sitcom Moving Wallpaper has been recommissioned for a second series, but without its accompanying soap opera, Echo Beach.

The shows were originally designed by to be seen in tandem, with the comedy revealing the goings-on behind the scenes of the soap.

But ITV says that when the sitcom returns next year, ‘it will work better in a new format’ – without the soap.

Moving Wallpaper starred Ben Miller as the producer of Echo Beach, a drama set in the fictional Cornish surfing town of Polnarren starring Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon.

Both shows were the brainchild of former EastEnders writer Tony Jordan, and received a mixed reaction from critics.

They started with 5 million viewers apiece but both shed viewers. Echo Beach slumped to 1.9 million in a primetime Friday night slot, where as Moving Wallpaper was attracting around 2.5 million by the end of its run. But the comedy was seen as attracting sought-after younger viewers to IV1.

Published: 20 May 2008

Live comedy picks

We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.