'I couldn't believe it': Gregor Fisher reveals BBC has axed Only Child

Gregor Fisher, who starred opposite Greg McHugh in the BBC Scotland show, said he had been told the news minutes before going on stage at his Edinburgh Festival Fringe show.

The Rab C Nesbitt star had earlier criticised the BBC on Radio Scotland for keeping him in the dark about the future of the critically acclaimed show, which also starred Jennifer Saunders and Amy Lennox.

Created by writer Bryce Hart and launched in November 2024, Only Child saw McHugh’s character Richard return home to north-east Scotland to look after his recently widowed father Ken.

The cast of the show, which was partly filmed in Forres, included Scots stage and screen stars Forbes Masson, Stuart Bowman, Tam Dean Burn, Grant O’Rourke, Clive Russell and Amy Conachan.

Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh have made two series of the Scottish sitcom Only Child. (Image: free)

A second series of Only Child, which was made by Happy Tramp North for BBC One, BBC Scotland and the BBC iPlayer, was commissioned last year by BBC Comedy and BBC Scotland and returned in April.

Fisher was asked about the show by Radio Scotland presenter Grant Stott during a live broadcast at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Only Child and Rab C Nesbitt star Gregor Fisher is currently appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

He said: “Oh, the darling boy Greg McHugh. He’s from Edinburgh but we don’t hold it against him.

“He’s terrific, he’s absolutely first-class and how lucky am I to be an old fat like me and still required to do a wee show now and again with a youngster like him.

Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh made two series of the BBC Scotland sitcom Only Child. (Image: BBC/Happy Tramp North Ltd/Graeme Hunter)

“It’s great fun, but I don’t know if there will ever be any more, because the BBC don’t  keep you informed like they used to. They don’t tell you anything nowadays. You wouldn’t know what is going on.”

The actor, who is taking part in a daily “in-conversation” Fringe show at the Gilded Balloon this month, swore live on air during the Radio Scotland show, joked with the audience that he would “never be back on the BBC ever again”.

Fisher later posted a video on his Instagram page to announce the BBC’s decision on Only Child, which he said he was informed about around an hour after his Radio Scotland appearance, which he admitted using a “bad word” on.

He said: “You are not going to believe this, but it is all absolutely true.

“I was just about to go on stage at the Gilded Balloon when my phone went, as I hadn’t turned it off, like an eejit.

“It was somebody from the BBC to tell me that Greg McHugh and I’s show Only Child, which I really enjoyed doing, had been cancelled. I couldn’t believe it.

“I thought to myself: ‘Do you think the two are connected, the fact I swore on air and now I’ve been sacked’?

“I suppose every cloud has a silver lining and I’ve still got the show at the festival. There are still one or two tickets left. Come along. It would be very nice to see you. You may never see me again. I’ll probably never be on television again.”

Fans have posted hundreds of comments on Fisher's Instagram account to express dismay at the BBC's decision.

One said: "Genuinely sad to hear that. What a great show. I've rewatched both seasons a number of times. Two legends of Scottish comedy with a dynamite script.

"The BBC fumbled its delivery so badly they have had to cancel it."

Another added: "I adore Only Child. The observations were just like my own father.

"Watching and laughing hysterically at him helped us remember and greet for our dad. Thank you for your amazing contribution to this show."

Speaking about his Only Child character ahead of the show's launch two years ago, Fisher said: "I'm maybe slightly on the eccentric side, shall we say. And he (Ken) is a bit of a hoarder, and his memory maybe isn't as sharp as it should be. A bit like me, actually. I'm an absolute bloody shoo-in for this part, because all these things are true of me."

A BBC spokesperson said: “It’s been a joy to bring the adventures of Ken and Richard to BBC viewers. We’d like to thank Happy Tramp North, Bryce Hart, and all the cast and crew for two wonderful series.”