ITV has axed one of its best-loved dramas after just one series on air.
Three Little Birds was a six-part limited series created by Sir Lenny Henry inspired by his family’s history.
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Three Little Birds is the latest ITV project to face the ax Credits: ITV
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Rochelle Neil, Yazmin Belo and Saffron Coomber starred in the series Credits: Rex
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The comedian said he has more stories planned Credit: ITV
The programme, which first hit screens in October 2023, was a loose recreation of his mother’s trip to the UK in the 1950s.
Unfortunately, despite numerous ideas for new sequels, the commercial publisher decided not to order a sequel.
This infuriated the Comic Relief co-founder as he hit out at the broadcaster following the cancellation.
The TV legend told The Guardian: “A lot of black dramas seem to only have one series these days.
“There are many examples of this – and unfortunately, Three Little Birds is just another in that same category.”
He also claimed that he has more to give and is already planning future stories for the hit series.
Sir Lenny added: “We were just getting to know Rochelle Neil, Saffron Coomber, Yazmin Belo and Javone Prince and their stellar performances as Leah, Chantrelle, Hosanna and Aston.
“The audience reaction was amazing and I planned really good stories for their characters.”
He also decried what he sees as the TV industry’s attachment to “big names” over developing talent.
The comic said: “A show will often only get one take and if it doesn’t live up to the broadcaster’s expectations – that’s it – it’s likely to be canceled after one series.
“Unfortunately, we don’t give shows the opportunity to grow with the audience like they did 10-15 years ago, which is probably because of the way we consume things.”
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He added: “I’d really like to see some longer-term investment in lesser-known and diverse talent, to make them the stars of tomorrow. These things take time.
“I plan to take the characters from Three Little Birds and create their further adventures in the book.
“Meanwhile, going forward, I’ll just have to pitch TV projects starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Judi Dench. Wish me luck!”
In response, an ITV spokesperson told the news outlet: “It was a very difficult decision as we really wanted to commission another series of The Three Birds, but unfortunately the audience didn’t come to the drama in the numbers we had hoped.
“Everyone who watched the show really liked it and because of that we’re really disappointed that we can’t do another series.”
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Sir Lenny Henry has hit out at the broadcaster for only using ‘big names’ and not investing in lesser known talent Credit: Alamy
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The drama was inspired by his mother’s trip to Britain in the late 1950s Credit: ITV
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The broadcaster said the drama did not get the ‘numbers they were hoping for’ Credit: ITV
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