# The Cleaner (British TV series)
**The Cleaner** is a British television sitcom written by and starring [Greg Davies](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-davies) as Paul "Wicky" Wickstead, a state-certified crime scene cleaner responsible for removing any signs of death at crime scenes. Produced by Studio Hamburg UK for BBC One and [BBC iPlayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-iplayer), it is an adaptation of the long-running German comedy series *Der Tatortreiniger* ([Crime Scene Cleaner](https://www.edgepedia.org/crime-scene-cleaner)). The first of six 30-minute episodes was broadcast on BBC One on Friday 10 September 2021 at 9:30pm, and the show ran to 19 episodes across three series between 2021 and 2024.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 30-minute comedy, BBC One and BBC iPlayer[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) • [3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) |
| Lead | Greg Davies as Paul "Wicky" Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician who removes signs of death at crime scenes[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) |
| Original | Adaptation of the German series *Der Tatortreiniger*[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) |
| Run | 2021–2024, 19 episodes across 3 series; first broadcast 10 September 2021, 9:30pm, BBC One[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/) |
| Production | Studio Hamburg UK (SHUK); director Tom Marshall; creator credited as Ingrid Lausund[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/) |
| Audience | Series 2 averaged 2.9 million viewers and ranked in the UK top ten most viewed scripted comedies[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) |
| Series 3 | Commissioned in 2024, six episodes, including a storyline at a lighthouse in Northern Ireland[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) |
## Premise and format
Employed by Lausen, a cleaning firm located in [Shropshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/shropshire), Wicky can typically be spotted, baby-blue pickup truck in tow, at crime scenes once the police have finished their investigative work.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) Each episode is built around the people he encounters while cleaning: relatives, employers, neighbors, and occasionally the murderers themselves.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner)
## Cast and characters
Greg Davies plays Wicky. Zita Sattar features in the recurring role of Ruth Edwards, who returns in series 3.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/) • [3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
## Production
The Cleaner is a Studio Hamburg UK production, part of Studio Hamburg Production Group, made for [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) and BBC iPlayer.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) • [3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) It was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Director BBC Content, and Shane Allen, then Commissioning Controller Comedy; the executive producer is Vivien Muller-Rommel, with Ben Caudell as BBC commissioning editor on the original commission.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) Tom Marshall directs.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/)
Greg Davies writes the episodes. For series 3, additional material was contributed by [Paul Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-allen), Barry Castagnola, Laura Claxton, Stephen Morrison, and Michael Odewale.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) For series 3 the producer is Sam Ward, with Vivien Muller-Rommel continuing as executive producer.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
## Series and transmission
Three series have been made. The first was broadcast from Friday 10 September 2021 at 9:30pm on BBC One, and the show had accumulated 19 episodes across its three series by the end of 2024.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/) The BBC announced a third series in 2024, again consisting of six 30-minute episodes.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
## Reception
The second series was in the top ten most viewed scripted comedies in the UK, with a 2.9 million average audience.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, described The Cleaner as one of the most watched comedy shows in the UK the previous year when announcing the renewal.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
## Relationship to Der Tatortreiniger
The Cleaner is an adaptation of *Der Tatortreiniger*, described in the BBC's original announcement as a multi award-winning, long-running German comedy series.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner)
The two BBC announcements credit the German original's creation differently. The 2020 press release says *Der Tatortreiniger* was created by Ingrid Lausund, and British Comedy Guide likewise credits Ingrid Lausund as creator.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/) The BBC's 2024 series 3 announcement instead credits Mizzi Meyer as creator.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
## What has changed since 2023
In 2024 the BBC commissioned a third series of six episodes. In this episode, Wicky tidies a lighthouse in [Northern Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-ireland), meets a woman who is heavily pregnant, and gets back in touch with a friend he had lost contact with years before; Ruth Edwards, played by Zita Sattar, makes a return.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/) The show remains in circulation on British television, with repeats of series 2 having aired on the channel U&Gold in August 2026.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/)
## References
1. [Greg Davies set to star in new BBC One comedy series The Cleaner, BBC Media Centre](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/the-cleaner)
2. [The Cleaner – BBC1 sitcom, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cleaner/)
3. [Greg Davies returns for a third series of BBC One's The Cleaner, BBC Media Centre](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/the-cleaner-series-3-greg-davies/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › British sitcoms and comedy series › British sitcoms (2010s–present)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license