No third series for Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh's comedy

The BBC has cancelled Scottish sitcom Only Child after two series, star Gregor Fisher has revealed.

He took to social media to reveal he was told the news minutes before going on stage at his Edinburgh Fringe show.

‘You are not going to believe this, but it is all absolutely true,’ he said.  ‘I was just about to go on stage at the Gilded Balloon when my phone went, as I hadn’t turned it off, like an eejit.

‘It was somebody from the BBC to tell me that Greg McHugh and I’s show Only Child, which I really enjoyed doing, had been cancelled. I couldn’t believe it.’

Fisher also suggested the decision could have been because he swore on a live BBC Radio Scotland programme on Monday.

It’s not quite sure what he said as the BBC Sounds stream has been edited since broadcast. 

But speaking to  broadcaster  Grant Stott, the actor did say of his Only Child co-star: ‘Ah, the darling boy Greg McHugh. He’s from Edinburgh but we don’t hold it against him.

‘He’s terrific, he’s absolutely first-class and how lucky am I to be an old fart like me and still required to do a wee show now and again with a youngster like him.’

‘It’s great fun, but I don’t know if there will ever be any more, because the BBC don’t  keep you informed like they used to. They don’t tell you anything nowadays. You wouldn’t know what is going on."’

It appears a comment was then edited out as Fisher ads: ‘I’ll never be back on the BBC ever. I might as well fling in another couple of loads.’

As Stott urges him not to say anything untoward, Fisher jokingly threatens: ‘I’ll go out with a bang… go for the F-word or something.’

Soon afterwards he learned that the show would not be returning. He told his Instagram followers: ‘I inadvertently said a bad word, it might have been "bastard". It just slipped out. I thought to myself, "Do you think the two are connected, the fact I swore on air and now I’ve been sacked’?

‘I suppose every cloud has a silver lining and I’ve still got the show at the festival. There are still one or two tickets left. Come along. It would be very nice to see you. You may never see me again. I’ll probably never be on television again."’

In the sitcom, Fisher played the recently widowed Ken with McHugh as his son Richard, reluctantly retuning home to north-east Scotland to look after him

Created by writer Bryce Hart, the comedy launched in November 2024, and made by Happy Tramp North for BBC One and BBC Scotland.

Chortle has approached the BBC for comment.

Published: 19 Aug 2026