# Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
**Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps** (often shortened to *Two Pints*) is a British television sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson, following the lives and loves of a group of 20-something friends in Runcorn, an industrial town in Cheshire, whose main pursuits are drinking beer, sex, smoking, and takeaways.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) It ran for nine series and 80 episodes between 26 February 2001 and 24 May 2011, moving from [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) to [BBC Choice](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-choice) and then to [BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three), and became one of Britain's longest-running sitcoms despite consistently poor reviews.[2](https://epguides.com/TwoPints/) • [1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original run | 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011; nine series, 80 episodes of about 30 minutes[2](https://epguides.com/TwoPints/) |
| Channels | BBC Two (series 1), BBC Choice (series 2), BBC Three (series 3 onward)[3](https://bbc.fandom.com/wiki/Two_Pints_of_Lager_and_a_Packet_of_Crisps) |
| Creator | Susan Nickson, aged 18 when the series began; sole writer on 50 of the 80 episodes[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) |
| Original cast | Natalie Casey (Donna), Will Mellor (Gaz), Sheridan Smith (Janet), Kathryn Drysdale (Louise), Ralf Little (Jonny)[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/) |
| Cast exits | Ralf Little left at the end of series 6; Sheridan Smith and Kathryn Drysdale were absent from series 9[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) |
| Ending | Axed by the BBC in July 2011 under new BBC Three controller Zai Bennett[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) • [6](https://www.nme.com/news/tv/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-finally-869610) |
| Possible return | Susan Nickson is reported to have obtained the rights from the BBC; cast members including Will Mellor and Sheridan Smith have said they would join a reunion[7](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865) |
## Premise and characters
The sitcom is set in Runcorn and centers on five friends in their twenties: Donna Henshaw ([Natalie Casey](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-casey)), Gary "Gaz" Wilkinson ([Will Mellor](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-mellor)), Janet ([Sheridan Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheridan-smith)), Louise Brooks (Kathryn Drysdale), and Jonny Keogh (Ralf Little).[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/) The first series introduced the girls, Janet, Louise, and Donna, and the boys, Gaz and Jonny, along with Flo, Donna's mother, a regular contributor of tasteless comments and bad advice.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) Recurring characters included Munch, Gaz's half-brother, introduced in series 3, and Tim, played by Luke Gell, who joined in the later series.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) • [2](https://epguides.com/TwoPints/)
Nickson based the show on her own and her friends' lives.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) The humor is deliberately broad: a Guardian defense of the show noted that much of it comes from flatulence, male libido, the awkwardness of sex, and drinking.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/mar/07/two-pints-of-lager)
## Broadcast history
The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 2001, with six episodes; series 2 transferred to BBC Choice, also with six episodes.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) When BBC Choice became BBC Three in February 2003, the show received a bigger budget and ten episodes were commissioned for series 3.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) Although it is remembered as a BBC Three comedy, the sitcom predates the channel by almost two years.[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/)
The show used several formats to vary its run. A Christmas special after series 3 was a musical set before the five friends had met, made up almost entirely of surreal musical numbers, a gamble that attracted some rare positive press.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) Producers also staged a live episode and an interactive special in which viewers chose the outcome of a storyline.[6](https://www.nme.com/news/tv/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-finally-869610) In the live episode, Nickson had Jonny eaten by a shark, a plot point she later said she had intentionally written herself into a corner with.[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/)
## Cast changes and cancellation
The run was marked by cast departures. [Ralf Little](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralf-little) left at the end of series 6, and Sheridan Smith and [Kathryn Drysdale](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathryn-drysdale) were absent from series 9, which aired in April and May 2011.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) Critics often cited the changes as proof of the show's decline, but viewing figures did not bear this out: the final series, in which two main characters were replaced by Cassie (Georgia Henshaw) and Billy (Freddie Hogan), drew the show's largest audience in a number of years.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/)
In July 2011 the BBC confirmed the show would end. New BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said the channel was "all about giving new writers a chance" and that it was time to give that chance to others; Nickson said she respected the decision and noted the last series' figures had grown.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/) The ninth series ended on 24 May 2011.[6](https://www.nme.com/news/tv/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-finally-869610)
## Critical reception and audience
*Two Pints* was panned by critics but watched by a loyal audience throughout its run. British Comedy Guide describes it as constantly receiving bad reviews from TV critics while building a strong fanbase and becoming one of Britain's longest-running sitcoms.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/) A 2009 Guardian piece opened with the criticisms "Rubbish", "Hateful", and "The worst programme on television" before arguing in the show's defense.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/mar/07/two-pints-of-lager) The Independent noted in 2011 that the show "trundles on, too, regardless of reviewers' ridicule", grouping it with commercially successful but critically scorned studio sitcoms.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-return-of-the-sitcom-2201279.html) When the *Independent* called *Mrs Brown's Boys* "the worst comedy ever made", it did so by comparison: "It is *Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps*, but more than 10 times as crass and not as cerebral."[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/29/mrs-browns-boys-worst-comedy-ever-made-smash)
The show was closely identified with BBC Three, where it became a scheduling staple alongside repeats of *Family Guy* and *Doctor Who*, and it is counted among the channel's defining programs.[11](https://pure.port.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/5949510/Final_Assembled_Thesis_Michael_O_Neill_210650_.pdf) • [12](https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/bbc-threes-15-most-defining-tv-shows-279044/) Its frequent repetition on BBC Three drew complaints from viewers who were not fans, which the BBC defended by pointing to the show's large following.[13](https://www.comedy.co.uk/news/old_story/163/) Nickson said in 2021 that it had been the top requested comedy on [BBC iPlayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-iplayer).[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/)
## Reunion efforts
The cast has repeatedly discussed reviving the show. Will Mellor and Ralf Little launched the podcast *Two Pints With Will & Ralf*, and in 2021 Nickson wrote a five-minute anniversary sketch in which the two reprised Gaz and Jonny, their first scene together since Jonny's death.[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/) Mellor told the *Daily Mail* in December 2024 that he had commissioned a draft first episode from Nickson, titled *Two Pints Last Orders*, a "where are they now" final series in which Jonny is not dead but has been on the run from a loan shark; he said the BBC and BBC Three turned it down even though repeats of the old episodes were drawing the channel's highest ratings.[7](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865) In January 2026, reports said Nickson had obtained the rights to the show from the BBC, allowing it to be pitched to other channels, with the cast reportedly signed on for a reunion.[7](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865)
## Legacy
The show helped launch the careers of Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, and Ralf Little, and it served as a training ground for new writers on the fledgling BBC Three; comedy writer Tim Dawson got his first break on it.[7](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865) • [14](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/features/) A BBC taste and standards study found that a clip from the show, though more verbally explicit than a *Holby Blue* sex scene, caused little concern among the audience groups consulted.[15](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/pdf/taste_standards_june2009.pdf) The series remains available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, where the BBC continues to air repeats.[7](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865)
## References
1. [About Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/about/)
2. [Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps: A Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/TwoPints/)
3. [Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, BBC Wiki](https://bbc.fandom.com/wiki/Two_Pints_of_Lager_and_a_Packet_of_Crisps)
4. [Two Pints comes to an end, British Comedy Guide (23 July 2011)](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/590/bbc_three_sitcom_two_pints_ends/)
5. [20 years of Two Pints, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/special/20-years/)
6. ['Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps' finally axed, NME (28 July 2011)](https://www.nme.com/news/tv/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-finally-869610)
7. [Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps: Noughties BBC sitcom 'set for comeback', NationalWorld](https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/television/two-pints-of-lager-and-a-packet-of-crisps-noughties-sitcom-bbc-three-set-for-return-sheridan-smith-ralf-little-will-mellor-reunion-5488865)
8. [Pints of view, The Guardian (7 March 2009)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/mar/07/two-pints-of-lager)
9. [The return of the sitcom, The Independent (2 February 2011)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-return-of-the-sitcom-2201279.html)
10. [Mrs Brown's Boys: how the 'worst comedy ever made' became a smash hit, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/29/mrs-browns-boys-worst-comedy-ever-made-smash)
11. [Michael O'Neill, Digital Spray: Channel 4, innovation and youth programming (PhD thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2013)](https://pure.port.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/5949510/Final_Assembled_Thesis_Michael_O_Neill_210650_.pdf)
12. [BBC Three's 15 most defining TV shows, Attitude](https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/bbc-threes-15-most-defining-tv-shows-279044/)
13. [BBC3 under fire for repeating Two Pints too often, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/news/old_story/163/)
14. [Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps features, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/two_pints/features/)
15. [Taste, Standards and the BBC, BBC research report (June 2009)](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/pdf/taste_standards_june2009.pdf)
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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 (1990s–2000s)*
*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