Only Child (TV series)
British comedy television series
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Only Child is a British television sitcom starring Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh. It premiered on BBC Scotland on 21 November 2024. A second series was commissioned in May 2025 and was released the following year.[1][2]
| Only Child | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Screenplay by | Bryce Hart |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | toydrum |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Neil Webster |
| Producer | Ursula Haworth |
| Production company | Happy Tramp North |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Scotland |
| Release | 21 November 2024 – present |
Synopsis
Cast and characters
- Gregor Fisher as Ken Pritchard
- Greg McHugh as Richard Pritchard
- Amy Lennox as Emily, Ken's neighbour and Richard's schoolfriend
- Clare Barrett as Jen
- Robin Laing as Ian
- Jenny Galloway as Beth
- Kevin Bishop as Tim
- Paul Rattray as Digsy, Richard's schoolfriend
- Stuart Bowman as Rod, Ken's next-door neighbour
- Forbes Masson as Crawford
- Jennifer Saunders as Sally (voice), Richard's inept agent
- Belinda Owusu as Dr Roach, Ken’s Doctor
Production
The six-part series is a Happy Tramp North production. It is written by Bryce Hart and directed by Al Campbell and Holly Walsh. The producer is Ursula Haworth and the executive producer is Neil Webster.[4][5]
The cast is led by Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh, which McHugh described working closely with Fisher as a "dream come true".[6][7] McHugh also said the character of Richard is "the closest I have played to myself in terms of a character. I sometimes find him a bit annoying. Although, people might say that about me who know me."[8] The cast includes Forbes Masson, Amy Lennox, Clare Barrett, Robin Laing, Paul Rattray and Jennifer Saunders in a voice role. Themes developed in the series include mortality, ageing, parent-child relationships and intergenerational differences.[9]
The series began filming in Scotland in July 2024.[10] Filming locations including Glasgow, Whitecraigs Railway Station and Barrhead.[11] Filming on the second series took place in August 2025.[12]
Episodes
Series overview
Series 1 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Eh?"[13] | Al Campbell, Holly Walsh | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
| 2 | 2 | "Raisins"[14] | Al Campbell | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
| 3 | 3 | "Team Pritchard"[15] | Al Campbell | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Thespian"[16] | Al Campbell | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
| 5 | 5 | "Who's Brian?"[17] | Al Campbell | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Long Goodbye"[18] | Al Campbell | Bryce Hart | 21 November 2024 |
Series 2 (2026)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Growing"[19] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
| 8 | 2 | "Seize the Day-Lewis"[20] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
| 9 | 3 | "Dual Control"[21] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
| 10 | 4 | "Training Day"[22] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
| 11 | 5 | "Secrets and Ladders"[23] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
| 12 | 6 | "TBC"[24] | John Addis | Bryce Hart | 4 May 2026 |
Broadcast
Series 1 premiered on BBC Scotland on 21 November 2024 and on BBC One 22 November 2024.[25]
Series 2 premiered on 4 May 2026 on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer, and 6 May 2026 on BBC One.[26]
Reception
Alison Rowat in The Herald praised the humour in the series and said "the best thing about Only Child, however, is the casting… Individually, Fisher and McHugh are class acts. Together, they are a dream ticket. It’s as if they've been together for years."[27] Rachel Aroesti in The Guardian also praised the humour saying "I laughed out loud five times during the first three minutes.. Bryce Hart’s script is meticulously dense with gags, delivered with exemplary timing by its two leads. In other words, it’s pretty funny".[28]