Greg Davies BBC sitcom to return to screens with extended single

The BBC has ordered a Christmas special of Greg Davies’ sitcom The Cleaner with guest stars including Robert Webb and Peter Serafinowicz,.

The hour-long single, The Cleaner In Italy, written by and starring Greg Davies, is produced by Studio Hamburg UK (SHUK) and has started filming in Europe, marking the first time the show has gone abroad. It is also the first time the show has moved from its original half-hour format.

Based on the German comedy Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner), which is owned by SHUK parent Studio Hamburg Group, The Cleaner sees Davies as a crime scene cleaner, who comes across a cast of eccentric characters as he goes about his work.

Webb is best known for Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look and more recently Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping, while Serafinowicz has starred in the likes of Amandaland, I’m Alan Partridge, Shaun of the Dead and currently hosts Netflix reality gameshow format Million Dollar Secret.

The Cleaner first aired on BBC1 in 2021 and was followed by a second series and Christmas special the following year. A third series aired in October 2024, averaging 1.3m (11.4%) overnights viewers, rising to 2.1m (14.2%) after 28 days, according to Barb data from overnights.tv. 

The Cleaner (1 x 60 minutes) is produced by SHUK for BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. Greg Davies writes and stars in it. The exec producer is SHUK managing director Vivien Muller-Rommel and the producer is Gareth Edwards (That Mitchell and Webb Look). The director is Tom Marshall (The Cleaner, Chewing Gum) and the casting director is Tracey Gillham.

The title has previously guest starred major talent including Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell and Harriet Walter.

Davies said: “I think Wicky has got to the stage in life where he only likes three things: his job, going to the pub and beer. To get the opportunity to force him to go to Italy on a hiking holiday is the perfect opportunity to test his breaking point. I can’t wait to show everyone how horribly wrong a holiday can go…”

Muller-Rommel said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be back with Greg, our brilliant guest cast and our fantastic crew for this very special episode of The Cleaner. There’s a real excitement about this one, and everyone involved is determined to make it our funniest adventure yet. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

Ben Caudell, commissioning editor for the BBC, added: “As filming begins on this new The Cleaner special, it’s a pleasure to see Greg Davies return to one of his most memorable creations. Wicky has become a standout character in British comedy, and Greg’s ability to place him in extraordinary situations is always a delight. This one-off episode brings together a terrific cast and an inventive new setting, and we’re very much looking forward to sharing it with viewers over the festive period.”