The Catherine Tate Show - Series Three (2006)

Series Three (2006)

The third series started on 26 October 2006 and ran until 25 November 2006. Prior to the launch of the series, it had been reported that BBC One controller Peter Fincham hoped to lure Tate to the channel; however, she decided to stay with BBC Two, where she would not be as pressured to secure higher ratings.

The series gained strong viewing figures for BBC Two, ranging from 4.00 to 4.92 million, becoming the top show on BBC Two each week. There were many more guest appearances in the third series which included Paul O'Grady being featured in a sketch with Joannie "Nan" Taylor when she appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show.

On 19 February 2007, Tate appeared again on This Morning and stated that a forty-minute Comic Relief special had been made, which aired on 16 March 2007. Several sketches were interspersed throughout the Comic Relief programme, with guests such as the prime minister at the time, Tony Blair (see charity sketches for details). Kim Cattrall has also expressed an interest in appearing on an episode of the show. Cattrall commented that she is a "huge fan" and would like to be given a role.

Tate has revealed that she is considering taking the characters from the show on the road for a UK stage tour. Series Three was released on DVD on 12 November 2007. On 31 October 2007 The Catherine Tate Show won the National Television Award for most popular comedy as voted for by the public.

A new Christmas special episode aired on 25 December 2007 on BBC One, in which pop star George Michael made a guest appearance. He was featured in several scenes with Irish nurse, Bernie, including one kissing scene. The character of Lauren was killed in a kayaking accident during the episode. Rumours had emerged about this story line in July 2007. Kathy Burke and Tamzin Outhwaite also guest starred, and the special averaged with 6.4 million viewers. The episode was subject to criticism when some viewers complained about the amount of swearing, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from Northern Ireland as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of knuckle dusters, in reference to The Troubles. A statement was issued from the BBC that read "Catherine Tate creates characters who are so over the top as to be almost cartoon-like and this is where her genius lies. Her comedy is never meant to offend any viewer and is always based on satire and grotesque exaggeration." After the complaints were made, an Ofcom report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations. An extract from the Ofcom report read "Overall this episode was typical of the Catherine Tate Show and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."

During Tate's appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 24 September 2007, Tate did not make a reference to the speculation of there being any more series, but she did state that she may just continue her work on The Catherine Tate Show through one-off specials. It has since been announced by Tate that she does not plan any more series after the Christmas special. She commented: "It's hard to keep coming up with ideas. And I'd like to stay in people's good graces, rather than, 'Oh no, she's not doing another series of that, is she?'" Tate also left to concentrate on other projects such as her role as Donna Noble, in series four of Doctor Who.

The BBC confirmed that a new Christmas special will be broadcast in December 2009, titled Nan's Christmas Carol, featuring Tate's Nan character as Scrooge. The special guest stars Mathew Horne (reprising his role as Nan's grandson Jamie) and Ben Miller, David Tennant and Roger Lloyd Pack as ghosts. Niky Wardley who played many various characters mainly Lisa Jackson, also returned as Joannie Taylor's mother. Despite this special, shown on 25 December 2009, Tate has reiterated that she has no plans for the show to make a full return.