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''Two Doors Down'' is a Scottish television
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
, produced by
BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...
. It was created by Simon Carlyle and Gregor Sharp, and stars
Arabella Weir Arabella Helen Weir (born 6 December 1957) is an American-born British comedian, actress and writer. She played roles in the comedy series ''The Fast Show'', ''Posh Nosh'' and ''Two Doors Down (TV series), Two Doors Down'', and has written sev ...
, Alex Norton,
Doon Mackichan Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born 7 August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double-Emmy awards, Emmy-award-winning ''Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and S ...
, Jonathan Watson and Elaine C. Smith as neighbours in a suburban street in Scotland. Following a one-off
Hogmanay Hogmanay ( , ) is the Scots language, Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year's Day (1 ...
special broadcast nationwide on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in December 2013, a full series was commissioned, and began airing on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
in April 2016, with a second that November. A further five series and four Christmas specials were broadcast over 2017 to 2023, moving to BBC One in late 2022 for its Christmas special, and its seventh series broadcast in late 2023. ''Two Doors Down'' won the Best Comedy award at the 2017
Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
Scotland Awards, with separate
BAFTA Scotland BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...
wins for cast and crew over the course of its run. The show was cancelled following the death of co-creator Simon Carlyle in August 2023. However, it was then reported in March 2025, that the sitcom would return for a one-off Christmas special to air that year.


Premise

The series co-creator, Simon Carlyle, stated: "''Two Doors Down'' is about crazy neighbours. We've all got them. They seem ok, but when you scratch the surface they're a bit nuts." ''Two Doors Down'' focuses on neighbours living side by side in a middle-class Glasgow suburb (differentiating it from many previous Glasgow-based sitcoms such as ''
Rab C Nesbitt ''Rab C. Nesbitt'' is a Scottish television comedy, comedy television series that originally aired between 1988 and 1999. The show returned for a one–off special in 2008, before being re-commissioned in 2010. Its second run was broadcast from ...
'' and ''
Still Game ''Still Game'' is a Scotland, Scottish sitcom produced by Effingee Productions, The Comedy Unit and BBC Scotland. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who played the lead characters, Jack Jarvis (Still Game character), Jack Jarvis, ...
'' which were set in gritty, downtrodden areas of the city).
BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
describes the characters as "not so happily living together" – the neighbours are constantly visiting uninvited, and overstaying their welcome, at Beth and Eric Baird's house. Beth is often taken advantage of by her neighbours, in particular Colin and Cathy Whyte two doors down - frequently having to make tea, pour drinks and prepare food, while the remaining characters chat in the living room. The Bairds have a son Ian, who is openly gay and visits his parents accompanied by his boyfriend (Jaz in Series 1-2, Gordon, Series 3-7). Much of the comedy revolves around the Whytes' game of one-upmanship over the Bairds, with both Colin and Cathy rarely passing any opportunity to boast about their affluent lifestyle to Eric and Beth. Cathy's condescending and toxic behaviour (usually fuelled by her constant need for alcohol), is barely tolerated by Beth, who struggles to keep her cool for the sake of Eric and Colin's friendship. Meanwhile, fellow next door neighbour Christine also visits the Bairds to talk about her frequent health problems and life misfortunes. Something of a 'loud-mouth', Christine is prone to making unconsidered remarks that escalate the tensions already building in the room to flashpoint - triggering farcical situations - with Eric usually having to be the voice of reason to calm things down again, although on some occasions it is Eric's patience that snaps first. Eric and Beth therefore try to avoid their neighbours as much as possible so they can enjoy some peace and quiet in their own home.


Cast and characters


Timeline


Episodes


Pilot (2013)


Series 1 (2016)


Series 2 (2016)


Series 3 (2018)


Series 4 (2019)


Christmas Special (2020)


Series 5 (2021–22)

Plans for a fifth series were formally announced in mid-2020, with filming originally set to start at that time delayed until March 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Filming was subsequently interrupted by Joy McAvoy giving birth, and as a result was only completed on two episodes and the Christmas special. Filming resumed in February 2022. The series resumed on 12 July 2022; the final three episodes of the series were made available on iPlayer on that date following the linear broadcast of "Brother Michael". In order to air the entire series in one run, the first two episodes were repeated (out-of-order) following the linear premiere of the last four episodes of the series.


Series 6 (2022)

A sixth series was indirectly mentioned in the BBC's Annual Plan, published in March 2022, reported by cast members in July 2022 as table reads took place, and officially confirmed by the BBC in August 2022. The series consists of six episodes and a Christmas special. Doon Mackichan and her character Cathy no longer appears; she "has left
olin Olin may refer to: People Organizations * OLIN, American landscape architecture firm * Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis * Olin College, an undergraduate engineering college in Massachusetts * Olin Corporation, a chem ...
and now lives abroad", with plots for the series centring around the fact he "can't help oversharing personal details" about it. Actress
Siobhan Redmond Siobhan Redmond ( ; born 27 July 1959) is a Scottish actress, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and known for various stage, audio and television roles such as Anne Marie in '' Two Doors Down''. Early life Siobhan Redmond was born on ...
joined the cast as a new regular character, Anne Marie. Following the broadcast of the first episode, the remaining episodes of the series (except the Christmas special) were made available on BBC iPlayer. The Christmas special, like the show's original pilot, aired on BBC One instead of BBC Two.


Series 7 (2023)

Recommission for a seventh series was confirmed by Elaine C. Smith in January, but not by the BBC until February. The series comprises six episodes, was filmed in summer 2023, and broadcast on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in autumn 2023. Filming began in mid-June, and it was confirmed that Doon Mackichan would reprise her role as Cathy after being absent from the show for the sixth series. All episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer on 24 November 2023, prior to their broadcast.


Christmas Special (2025)

In August 2024, it was announced by that there would be no more episodes of the show, due to the death of co-writer Carlyle the year prior. However, in March 2025, the sitcom was revealed to be returning for a one-off Christmas special.


Production

The pilot episode was shot with all the crew and cast in a "cramped, medium-sized living room". After the pilot was deemed successful, filming was moved to purpose-built sets in
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...
. Filming for the first series took place in the late summer and autumn of 2015. Exterior scenes were filmed in
Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs (; ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. Shires of Scotland, Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of ...
,
East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire (; , ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders Glasgow City Council Area to the south, North Lanarkshire to the east, Stirling (council area), Stirling to the north, and West Dunbartonshire to the west. East ...
; these were moved to Avonbrae Crescent in
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,
South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...
, from series 4. Location filming for series 2 included Prestwick Airport and a local supermarket. For the 2020 Christmas special, COVID-19 restrictions prompted changes to production, such as the entire cast and certain members of the crew isolating for two days prior to filming and doing so throughout the five-day shoot. In episodes shot after the COVID-19 pandemic, Elaine C. Smith said that her weight loss during the lockdowns meant that for her role as Christine she now had to wear "a fat suit and a wig with no eyebrows". On 9 August 2023, the death of Simon Carlyle, the show's co-creator and co-writer, aged 48, was announced.


Critical reception

''Two Doors Down''s initially mixed reception has grown more positive over the course of the show. Writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Ben Arnold said the first episode of the series was "a mundane set-up, not helped by a woeful lack of laughs," sentiments he repeated upon reviewing the start of the second series. ''The Arts Desk'' wrote that the series "owes an awful lot to both '' Abigail’s Party'' and ''
The Royle Family ''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
'', as well as socially awkward characters from any number of sketch shows, with equally broadly defined characters – only without the bits that make you laugh out loud." Writing for ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'', David Butcher said "Sometimes ''Two Doors Down'' is so uneventful it almost vanishes" but called it a "nicely sour-edged sitcom". Conversely, ''The Guardian''s Zoe Williams said, at the time of the first series, "this endearing ensemble BBC Comedy about a sort of Scottish neighbours has something-for-everyone humour," with ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
''s Euan Ferguson writing, of the second series, that " thas it all. Wit, delight, long awkward silences, burps, bacon-farts." A review of the series 3 opener by the '' i''s
Sarah Hughes Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles. Personal life Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York, a subu ...
noticed the "nice, dry one liners (most of them delivered by the estimable Elaine C Smith) and an expert ensemble cast, who manage to make you if not quite laugh out loud then at least gently smile in recognition," shared by Chris Harvey of ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' in his review, opining "Not all of the material was funny, but the acting carried it." With regards to series 4, '' The Herald''s Alison Rowat commented that "the jokes ... are easier to see coming than before, but by this stage in the game the comedy is coming more from the characters than the situation". Critical reaction to the 2020 special was overwhelmingly positive, with ''The Telegraph''s Anita Singh calling it "one of the unsung gems of the festive season", saying it "takes a well-worn scenario ... and gives it some bite", and ''The Guardian'''s Rebecca Nicholson lauding praise on the cast, while noting that "for those of us missing family gatherings this year, this is an accurate re-enactment of some of its most awkward corners". The series 5 opener received mixed reviews. Benji Wilson from ''The Telegraph'', in a two-star review, claimed " e storylines are so formulaic you're left wondering if this or that plot has already happened in the same episode, let alone in some other sitcom," but opined " at saves
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from the realms of utter dreck is the performances, which are the definition of making the best of a bad situation". The ''i''s Ed Power awarded four stars, admitting the episode "coasted along on a script that was gently droll rather than madly hilarious" yet "care was taken not to look down on the characters or suggest suburban life was some sort of beige hell," while, in a three-star review, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''s Carol Midgley considered it "wasn't the funniest episode he hadseen, but the writing is always tight and sharp" with "spot-on observations about the banal truths of normal life" and singled out Doon Mackichan and Elaine C. Smith as "consistently the funniest performers". The Christmas special's reviews skewed positive; ''The Telegraph''s three-star review from Michael Hogan said that while "
he show He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
won't win any awards for originality", the episode was "a wryly witty treat which captured the claustrophobic domesticity of Christmas" with "its endearing warmth and estimable ensemble cast", with a four-star review from ''Radio Times''s Huw Fullerton observing that " e joy of Two Doors Down is that you can more or less predict what comes next ..but the way the familiar beats develop is still laugh-out-loud funny, believable and even (in certain moments) a little bit festive," concluding it was "simple but well-observed character comedy". The opening episode of series six had a mixed reaction, particularly regarding the loss of the character of Cathy. Benji Wilson, in a two-star review for ''The Telegraph'', saying "Doon Mackichan was the funniest thing in ''Two Doors Down''" and that "without her it lagged horribly", also opining that it would be "fine to remove her for a single episode in which her absence remains the main story, but for the balance of the show – for the jokes, frankly – she needs replacing, fast." Gerald Gilbert's three-star review for the ''i'' was less critical, and approved of Cathy's removal, stating that the character "regularly dominated a comedy that works better on more understated rhythms". Gilbert went on to praise the writing, saying a strength of it was that "it touches on the uncomfortable truth that many of us barely tolerate our supposed friends and neighbours", and "the gags are generally well-worked ... and expertly delivered". Alison Rowat, in ''The Herald'', awarded the episode four stars, commenting that " en it comes to verbal riffs, writers Simon Carlyle and Gregor Sharp continue to be the closest thing Scotland has to Victoria Wood", and that a "superb cast take care of the rest", concluding that the show "is going to be just fine without ... what was her name again?"


Home media

All series and episodes of ''Two Doors Down'' have been made available on DVD.


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{BBCScotlandProgrammes 2013 Scottish television series debuts 2023 Scottish television series endings 2010s British sitcoms 2020s British sitcoms 2020s Scottish television series BBC Scotland television shows BBC television sitcoms Television series by BBC Studios British English-language television shows Scottish satirical television shows Scottish television sitcoms Television shows set in Glasgow