Iain Stirling's Buffering cancelled by ITV2

ExclusiveThursday 21st December 2023, 9:10am by Jay Richardson

Buffering. Image shows left to right: Greg (Paul G Raymond), Thalia (Janine Harouni), Olivia (Elena Saurel), Iain (Iain Stirling), Robbie (Sean Sagar), Ashley (Rosa Robson), Rosie (Jessie Cave). Credit: Avalon Television
  • Producers Avalon have confirmed that Buffering will not be returning for a third series on ITV2
  • Starring Iain Stirling, and principally written by the comic with Steve Bugeja, the twentysomething friends sitcom ran for 12 episodes between 2021 and this year
  • Avalon said: "Iain and Steve loved working with a brilliant cast and crew on Buffering, but the series isn't returning as availability wise it was hard to fit filming in with Iain's busy schedule."

Iain Stirling's sitcom Buffering has been cancelled, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

Starring the stand-up and voice of Love Island as a children's television presenter, and principally written by Stirling with Steve Bugeja, it was reported in May that work was underway on a third series of the ITV2 comedy but that will now not come to pass.

Stirling's management company Avalon, which also produced all 12 episodes of the flatshare comedy for ITV between 2021 and this year, told BCG that the comic, who has recently became a father and launched a true crime podcast, Partners In Crime, with his wife, presenter Laura Whitmore, is developing other projects.

An Avalon spokesperson said: "Iain and Steve loved working with a brilliant cast and crew on Buffering, but the series isn't returning as availability wise it was hard to fit filming in with Iain's busy schedule, particularly with the expanded series of Love Island in the USA."

Co-starring Bugeja, Jessie Cave, Janine Harouni, Elena Saurel, Rosa Robson, Paul G Raymond, Sean Sagar and Phil Fletcher, Buffering charted the lives and loves of a group of twentysomethings as they found themselves stuck in the limbo of being too old for nightclubs and too poor for mortgages.

Directed by Martin Stirling and Sophie King, additional writing on the sitcom was provided by Eleanor Tiernan and Christine Robertson. Buffering also featured guest roles from Whitmore, Joel Dommett, Lolly Adefope, Emily Atack, Nigel Ng and Sophie Duker among others.

Stirling starts touring his stand-up show Relevant on 20th March at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton, while Bugeja's tour, Self Doubt (I Think), begins on 16th May at the Engine Shed, Lincoln.

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