The news has upset many fans of the hit show online this morning
Fleabag star Sian Clifford has confirmed that there will be no third series of the hit show and that next week’s episode will be the last.
The actress, who plays Claire in the acclaimed television series, broke the news on Twitter and BBC Breakfast this morning (April 5).
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Clifford said: “There will not be a third series. This is it.”
She added: “I think I’ve described it online as like this beautiful, perfect ending and I think it is. But I think what it’s closer to is poetry.
“I think that people will accept that this is the end when they see it because I think it is complete; I think the story is complete.” Later, on Twitter, Clifford shared a clip of the news with the caption: “Sorry, Fleabags.”
There will not be another #Fleabag ?@SiansUniverse tells #BBCBreakfast the end is ‘poetry’ ⬇️@BBCThree @BBCOne @fleabag #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/CUvlYFQKTy
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) April 5, 2019
Sorry Fleabags ?????? https://t.co/EtNtgaY4rA
— Sian Clifford (@SiansUniverse) April 5, 2019
The sitcom, which Waller-Bridge created and stars in as the titular character, recently returned for a second season to follow up on the acclaim which greeted the arrival of the first season back in 2016.
In a five star review of Season 2, NME wrote: “Few comedy writers could pull off turning such a deeply upsetting event into a ridiculous farce. Throwing around such weighty subjects – miscarriage, dead parents, mourning – can so easily come off as utilising extreme shock value for cheap impact.
“That’d certainly be true if a show like Fleabag was written with a less sensitive handling, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge juggles sorrow expertly alongside slapstick hilarity. It’s a mean feat, and it marks her out as one of the most talented pen-wielders and actors in British comedy right now.”
Brett Gelman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Sian Clifford of ‘Fleabag’
The offending line in question was delivered by Andrew Scott, who plays a priest who Fleabag has an inappropriate crush on.
“Originally, the priest said he didn’t want to talk about his brother because his brother’s a cunt,” Waller-Bridge said (via Digital Spy). “And the BBC were like, ‘You can’t say cunt’ – all they said was they need an alternative.”
Waller-Bridge revealed that they later replaced the word ‘cunt’ with ‘paedophile’. “I was like, ‘You want an alternative? OK! I appreciate the irony here!’” Waller-Bridge added about the change.
