Seaside sitcom Sandylands returns to GOLD tonight for its second series, with star Sanjeev Bhaskar revealing there could be more to come if viewers demand it.
The Unforgotten actor plays amusement arcade owner Les Vegas in the hit series, who decides to fake his own death in the hopes of getting rich off his life insurance payout.
His daughter, Emily (Natalie Dew), is first to discover his deception and agrees to help him pull off the con, but that will be no easy feat in a sleepy town populated by some nosey eccentrics.
Unlike many sitcoms, Sandylands opts to tell an ongoing serialised story and Bhaskar has hinted that it won’t be entirely wrapped up in the second series, adding that he and his co-stars would be keen to return for a third.
“I don’t think there’s an end point in sight,” he told RadioTimes.com. “I mean, the writers would have to tell you that. But I, along with everybody else… I think we’d love to do it again.”
The second series adds another big name to the show’s ensemble cast with the introduction of Tracy-Ann Oberman as Donna (aka Mrs Vegas), joining a star-studded line-up that also includes Hugh Bonneville, David Walliams and Sophie Thompson.
“Whatever direction they [Martin Collins and Alex Finch, writers] want to take it in I think will work, I’ve got faith in them because I think they’re such terrific writers,” continued Bhaskar.
“I think also when the characters are strong, you can take them a lot further than merely a situation, because the situation… you can exhaust it. But if it’s character-led, then I think it has legs.”
The only downside of having such a large and accomplished cast is that scheduling is bound to become an issue, but Bhaskar is optimistic that everyone would find a way to make it work, purely because the show is so much fun to make.
“I thought it’d be difficult to get everyone back for the second series, but I think it’s a testament to how much everyone enjoyed it,” he added. “Everybody tried to move what they could in order to free up that time to get together. So I’d be fairly confident that everyone would find time in their busy schedules.”
Sandylands series two premieres tonight at 10pm on GOLD. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.