Martin Clunes claims BBC axed his sitcom Warren because bosses ‘didn’t like the elderly, working class demographic of the audience’

• Martin Clunes claims BBC cancelled new show because it was ‘too blue collar’
• ‘Warren’, based on an abrasive driving instructor, brought in 3.8 million viewers
• The corporation has been accused of attacking the elderly over licence fees 
• Clunes also announced show Doc Martin will be returning for a ninth series 

A BBC star has claimed that the corporation axed his new show because the audience was ‘too old’ and ‘too blue-collar’.

Martin Clunes, 57, said that new comedy Warren was cancelled after one series because TV chiefs weren’t happy with the demographics it was attracting.

He made the comments while in Cornwall filming the ninth series of Doc Martin for ITV.

Martin Clunes, 57, said that new comedy Warren was cancelled after one series because TV chiefs weren’t happy with the demographics it was attracting

Warren centres around a driving instructor who moves in with partner Anna (Lisa Millett) and stepchildren in Preston after her father falls ill.

Clunes described his character ‘self-centred, self-serving, self-aggrandizing’.

When it was suggested to him that some comedies take two series to develop an audience, Clunes said: ‘From what I could make out they [the BBC] didn’t like the people who were watching it,’ according to the Sunday Express.

Despite mixed reviews the show drew in an audience of 3.8 million on its first episode. 

Clunes revealed that his long-running comedy series Doc Martin will return for a ninth series for release later this year on ITV. He is currently filming in Port Isaac

Yesterday the BBC refused to comment on the claims but said there are ‘no plans for a further series of Warren’. 

The BBC already faces accusations of targeting the elderly after it announced it is scrapping free TV licences for over-75s who do not receive pension credit. 

Meanwhile Clunes revealed that his long-running comedy series Doc Martin will return for a ninth series for release later this year on ITV. 

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