ITV's Piglets given second series despite being 'absolutely slammed' by critics

ITV sitcom has been commissioned for a second series - despite being criticised this year.

The Police Federation even blasted before its release in July, after which critic panned the programmne for being outdated and using stereotypes. after the first episode alone.

But are sticking with the show, which stars Sarah Parish and Mark Heap, and the green light has been given for a second series, it is understood.

, who plays Daz in it, said on the Reading Between The Lines podcast: "Piglets has been commissioned for series two. It’s crazy, because we got absolutely slammed. The first series came out and it was met with absolute venom – across the board."

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And the move even surprised Champ himself. The 44-year-old actor, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, continued: "Immediately, I thought, ‘That’s that done’. But it got good figures and ITV obviously noticed that."

Among the few positive reviews, one critic compared Piglets to popular sitcom Green Wing, which was set in a hospital. Piglets's writers all previously collaborated on Green Wing, which ran for two seasons between 2004 and 2006.

Piglets is about a fictional police training college in London. Heap, also in Green Wing and Friday Night Dinner, portrays Superintendent Bob Weekes, a bumbling tutor for the new recruits.

Before the wacky sitcom aired, much-loved Heap, 67, said: "Bob is the good cop to Julie’s (Sarah Parish's character) bad cop; their relationship is like a long, tired marriage - they’re just about tolerating each other's annoyances - but it’s one that works, until it doesn’t. Bob doesn’t have any skills and floats in the slipstream of Julie - but he likes to feel important.

"Bob has a love interest, except he’s not aware of it. He’s completely oblivious to how Melanie feels, bless him. Who knows where that relationship is going to go?"