Stath Lets Flats’ future on Channel 4 is “up in the air” says star
What We Do in the Shadows’ Natasia Demetriou says it’s unclear whether the cult estate agent sitcom will return for a third series – but she’s glad they managed to create a mini-episode for fans in lockdown
As everyone remains separated at home in lockdown, many creatives have turned to online videocalling services for cast reunions, short scenes or mini-episodes of TV series – and now Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats has become the latest to join the trend, releasing a “lockdowned” episode online featuring the entire cast.
“I’m not sure who came up with the idea – it might have been Channel 4 and Rough Cut, who make the series,” series star Natasia Demetriou told RadioTimes.com of the online short written by her brother (also Stath Lets Flats’ creator and lead actor) Jamie Demetriou, which was released on YouTube.
“Jamie wrote an amazingly tight script, and we filmed ourselves on Zoom, and then they edited it together.
“We literally recorded it in real time! We just had to learn our parts and then we knew when we were coming in and coming out.
“I hope everyone likes it,” she added. “I hope it gave a moment of entertainment for everyone during all this.”
Starring both Demetrious in an ensemble cast including Katy Wix, Al Campbell, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and many others, Stath Lets Flats became a cult hit on Channel 4 following its debut in 2018, attracting critical plaudits as it followed the misadventures of bumbling lettings agent Stath (Jamie Demetriou) and his colleagues.
But ever since the second series finished airing in 2019, there’s been a conspicuous silence around whether the story will continue – and speaking to RadioTimes.com, Demetriou revealed that the possibility of a third series was still uncertain, even though the cast and crew were keen to return.
“I really really hope it comes back,” she told us. “Jamie is writing more. Definitely. But everything is very up in the air and I don't know...not even Jamie knows, not even Channel 4 knows I don’t think.”
Of course, the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic (which shut down filming and TV production across the UK) doesn’t help matters.
“It's more of a question of ‘When will the world be a little bit better?’ before we can start thinking about the third series of something, unfortunately,” she said.
On the plus side, we’re still set to get plenty of Demetriou on our screens in the coming months anyway, with the second series of her OTHER sitcom – US vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows – already airing in the States and set to arrive on BBC Two in the coming weeks.
“It's a comedy about European vampires living in America,” she told us. “They're vampires, and they're almost good at being vampires. But they are useless at living in the modern world.
“And it's basically seeing the minutiae and the domestic life of vampires. And it's all filmed like a real documentary. And it's from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, and there's nothing they can't do.
“In series two you just get to know more and more about this world that they live in, and their house and their relationships. Lots more sex, lots more blood. What's not to like?”
And who knows? If the vampires ever decided to move to London and rent a new house, we could have one hell of a sitcom crossover on our hands…
What We Do in the Shadows comes to BBC Two in the coming weeks, and Stath Lets Flats is available to stream on All4 now.
If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
