A popular David Mitchell show has been shelved after three series after a TV boss revealed that the comedian, who shot to fame on the Peep Show, is “too busy” to commit to a fourth series. His comedy show Outsiders – which ran for three series from 2021 to 2023 – saw the 51-year-old comic challenge six comedians to spent a week living in the great outdoors.

Over the course of seven days, comeians are faced with the daily challenges that come with living in the wilderness that teach them important and valuable life skills. The show originally aired on Dave, which is known for its various comedy programmes, but now the future of the show is in doubt and may never return to the airwaves. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, UKTV execs confirmed: “It is not currently returning and we have announced that.

“Would we look at that show again in the future? Maybe. Not currently. He loved doing it. We loved working with him. We definitely would be interested in other ideas with David Mitchell…

“We have a fantastic relationship with him. But he is pretty busy. He is quite a difficult man to get a lunch appointment with. We never say never absolutely.” David might not have time for Outsiders following the huge success with his BBC murder mystery series. Ludwig.

The show follows puzzle maner John ‘Ludwif’ Taylor as he assumes the identity of his police detective brother to solve his disappearance. When the show’s first series aired on BBC One last year and raked in a staggering 9.5million viewers.

This saw Ludwig quickly become the BBC’s biggest scripted show in two years and secured the title of the network’s largest comedy launch in six years. Following its record-breaking success, it was no surprise that the BBC confirmed a second series last October.

Earlier this year, David was quizzed about the upcoming series and what fans can expect from the next chapter of Ludwig’s crime-solving adventures. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I can’t tease anything.

“The scripts are being written now, and it wouldn’t help any viewers to know any more about it than that. We will be shooting this year. Our hope and aim is to give more of the same: the ongoing, intriguing narrative and the same weekly, resolved mystery.

“Other than that, I don’t really know much more, but I’m also under instructions not to say any more! I’m big on going into a program knowing only the bare minimum because surprise is a huge part of entertainment.”

It comes after David opened up about the profound melancholy that loomed over his earlier years, which he discusses in his memor Back Story. The actor confessed to being “hopelessly in love” with his wife Victoria Coren who he tied the knot with in 2012.