ITV axes star-studded sitcom after just one series

ITV has axed a star-studded sitcom after just one series and thanked the cast and crew for ‘bringing the show alive’.

The Family Pile debuted on the channel back in January and follows four sisters as they pack up their family home to sell after losing both of their parents.

The six-part show stars the likes of Sherlock’s Amanda Abbington and Downton Abbey’s Clare Calbraith but reportedly flopped in the ratings when it aired.

An ITV spokesman confirmed to MailOnline that there are ‘no plans’ for a second series of the Liverpool-based sitcom, which was written by Brian Dooley.

They said: ‘There are currently no plans for a second series of The Family Pile, we would like to thank all the cast and crew for their hard work in bringing the show alive on screen.’

A TV insider also told The Sun the cast and crew are ‘gutted’ that ITV bosses have decided not to renew the show for another instalment.

They said: ‘Unfortunately the ratings were lower than expected and ITV decided to concentrate on fresh comedies, rather than pin hopes on The Family Pile.

‘The cast and crew are gutted as they felt it was a good sitcom and the best ones always take time to grow.’

The series also stars the likes of Clare Keelan, James Nelson-Joyce], Richard Peeple and Alexandra Mardell, among others.

It follows four daughters as they gather at their parents’ home to sort through their possessions after the death of their mother, six months after their father passed away.

The family pile in Merseyside gives up its secrets as Nicole, Yvette, Ursula and Gaynor and their partners bicker over what should be done with the contents of bulging drawers and shelves, and the house itself. 

Comedy: The Family Pile debuted on the channel back in January and follows four sisters as they pack up their family home to sell after losing both of their parents

No success: The six-part show stars the likes of Sherlock’s Amanda Abbington and Downton Abbey’s Clare Calbraith but reportedly flopped in the ratings when it aired

Nicole’s husband Stuart (Kieran O’Brien) finds a collection of books belonging to his mother-in-law about serial killers and fascists, while Nicole and Ursula discover their late father’s secret supply of adult literature in the padlocked garden shed. 

Previously speaking about the comedy series, Clare said: ‘The Family Pile is about the emergence of comedy from the tragedy, that sense of hope that comes out of dark situations.’ 

Meanwhile, Amanda came late to the project and previously said she was the casting director’s final throw of the dice for the role of Nicole. 

‘I think they’d exhausted every other actress in Britain before me,’ she previously told the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine.