Small Prophets becomes BBC’s biggest new scripted launch of 2026 so far

Mackenzie Crook’s Small Prophets has drawn 7.7 million viewers for its opening episode over 28 days, giving the BBC its biggest new scripted launch of the year to date and its strongest comedy start on BBC Two in a decade

Mackenzie Crook’s Small Prophets has become the BBC’s biggest new scripted launch of 2026 so far, after the opening episode drew 7.7 million viewers over 28 days.

The six-part series, which ended on Monday 16 March, has also become the biggest comedy launch episode across the market, excluding specials, since Ludwig in 2024, which reached 9.5 million viewers over 28 days, according to the BBC.

For BBC Two, the broadcaster said it was the biggest comedy episode in the past 10 years, comfortably ahead of The Detectorists 2022 Christmas Special, which drew 4.5 million viewers.

Streaming accounted for most of the audience, with episode one recording 5.9 million views on iPlayer, making up more than three quarters of the total and giving it the biggest comedy launch on the platform since at least 2022, ahead of Ludwig’s first episode on 5.5 million.

The broadcaster added that 4 million viewers had already watched through to the end of the series on iPlayer, while the first episode had continued to gain viewers after the initial 28-day window and had now reached 7.9 million.

The show was created, written and directed by Crook and features a cast including Sir Michael Palin, Pearce Quigley, Lauren Patel, Sophie Willan, Jon Pointing and Paul Kaye. Produced by Gill Isles, it was filmed and set in and around Manchester and uses animated elements as part of its story.

Crook said: “I couldn’t be happier with the response to Small Prophets. The feedback from the audience, the reviews and figures have been better than I dared to hope.

“I gradually crafted this idea over the course of about 10 years and I think it has benefited from that slow percolation. The BBC comedy department has long given me the space, support and trust to make my shows and there is nowhere else I would rather go. 

“The BBC feels like home. I ended Small Prophets with ‘to be continued’ and I hope that is a promise I can keep in the not-too-distant future.”

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, said: “Small Prophets has been a brilliant success story. Loved by critics and viewers alike, it’s exactly the sort of show the BBC does best.”

He added: “Even so, it has surpassed all our expectations, and the ratings speak for themselves.”

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_{Main image: BBC Press Office/Matt Squire}