The second season of a controversial comedy is now available to binge in its entirety on ITVX
ITV quietly drops new series of ‘offensive’ comedy fans ‘can’t recommend enough’(Image: ITV/Moniker Pictures)
ITV has quietly dropped another season of a comedy that’s been branded “highly offensive”.
Piglets is a British comedy that’s set in a police training college. The first series aired on ITV1 in July 2024, shortly before getting renewed for a follow-up instalment.
The series follows a newly-recruited group of six very different would-be cops, and the handful of key staff whose task it is to knock them into shape.
Sarah Parish and Mark Heap lead the cast as no-nonsense Superintendent Julie Spry and Superintendent Bob Weekes, whose job it is to oversee the training of the next batch of new recruits.
The new recruits include Steph (Callie Cooke), Leggo (Sam Pote), Geeta (Sukh Kaur Ojla), Afia (Halema Hussain), Dev (Abdul Sessay) and Paul (Jamie Bisping). The cast also features Rebecca Humphries as Head of Admin Melanie, as well as Ukweli Roach and Ricky Champ as police trainers Mike and Daz.
Despite pulling in 5.6 million views for its first six episodes, the show was at the centre of huge controversy shortly after its premiere.
The Police Federation of England and Wales described the comedy’s title – which is based on the slang term “pig” for police – as being “highly offensive” and “insulting”. Piglets also received several Ofcom complaints from frustrated viewers when it was broadcast.
Now, the show’s second season has landed on ITVX, with The Traitors favourite Maddy Smedley joining the cast.
Maddy took to her Instagram earlier this week to promote the new series, saying: “So apparently, ITV aren’t really promoting Piglets series two, so this is the advert for it.”
After explaining how fans can find the show on ITVX, the star added: “I worked my butt off on that show, so this is the advert now, like it or lump it. Let me know what you think of the show, and thanks for your time.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the programme, there are lots of viewers who have shared their praise since its release.
One person wrote on IMDb: “This show is an absolute riot. While it may not be for everyone, the hate this show gets is completely unjustified… It’s a simple comedy with funny characters that mesh together perfectly, combining to create one of my favourite shows from this year. I can’t recommend this show enough. I’d love to have more of this show to watch.”
Another added: “I thought this was absolutely brilliant, well written, funny and such a mixed bunch of characters who gel well together for this type of show. A much needed comedy show in today’s TV world!”
A third said: “Piglets has a lot of laughs and is a lot of fun. Yes, it’s silly, which is why it’s so good. Who doesn’t like laughing at silly jokes and puns and references??? It’s a classic comedy and we need more of this on TV.”
Piglets is available to stream on ITVX