THE FAMILY PILE 'AXED' BY ITV AFTER ONE SERIES

ITV have reportedly axed comedy series The Family Pile after one series, according to The Sun. The series was a comedic exploration of one of life’s big milestones, via four sisters who have lost their parents and are packing up the family home to sell. But even in grief their messy lives go on.

The series, which aired on ITV earlier this year, starred Amanda Abbington (Sherlock, Mr Selfridge), Clare Calbraith (Home Fires, Downton Abbey), Claire Keelan (Nathan Barley, No Heroics), and Alexandra Mardell (Coronation Street) as the sisters with Kieran O'Brien, Richard Pepple and James Nelson-Joyce.

A source told The Sun: "Unfortunately the ratings were lower than expected and ITV decided to concentrate on fresh comedies, rather than pin hopes on The Family Pile. The cast and crew are gutted as they felt it was a good sitcom and the best ones always take time to grow...

"But TV is a brutal industry and shows that are not instant successes rarely get a second chance. Comedy chiefs appreciate the cast are talented and liked the series, but they couldn’t ignore the poor audience figures."

An ITV spokesperson said (via The Sun): "There are currently no plans for a second series of The Family Pile. We would like to thank all the cast and crew for their hard work in bringing the show alive on screen."

The Family Pile is available on ITVX.