BBC Drops Critically Acclaimed Drama This Town After One Series

The BBC has cancelled the critically acclaimed drama series This Town, created by Steven Knight, after just one season despite its strong reviews and winning the Royal Television Society Award for Limited Series and Single Drama. The show, set in the West Midlands during the early 1980s, followed a group of young people involved in the local music scene against a backdrop of social unrest and featured music from iconic bands like UB40 and The Specials. Although the series premiered to 3.2 million viewers, it lost over a million viewers by the end of its six-week run, leading to the BBC's decision not to renew it. Steven Knight had expressed enthusiasm for continuing the story, revealing he had ideas for future episodes, but the BBC cited declining viewership as a key factor and confirmed the decision was not related to Knight's busy schedule or cast availability. Knight remains in demand, having recently been announced as the screenwriter for the upcoming James Bond film directed by Denis Villeneuve, which is expected to release in 2028. The BBC expressed gratitude to Knight and the cast for bringing This Town to life and indicated they are in discussions about future projects with him.