‘People were in tears on set’: the emotional return of word-of-mouth sensation Two Doors Down

The outrageous Scottish sitcom became a sleeper hit – then its co-creator died tragically. Ahead of its festive special, the stars open up about the show’s poignant comeback

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hen taxi drivers in London started shouting punchlines at him – that’s when Jonathan Watson knew that Two Doors Down, the BBC Scotland sitcom set in a Glasgow suburb, had gone from slow-burn to blazing.

The yelling is appropriate in itself, since Watson’s character, Colin, is congenitally unfiltered. Whether it’s telling his neighbours they needn’t worry about a spate of burglaries because “nobody’ll target your place – they’ll want stuff they can actually sell”, or sharing the secrets of his Tinder success: “You have a chat: ‘How are you? I just put on a wash,’ and the next thing she’s in my bed, well more on top of it with a towel down …”

Created by Gregor Sharp and the late Simon Carlyle, Two Doors Down hops between living rooms on the fictional Latimer Crescent, where a mismatched group of neighbours can’t seem to resist popping in on each other again and again and again. Now, the cast returns for a one-off Christmas special where Beth and Eric cause consternation when they put up their Christmas tree earlier than usual, prompting demands for bespoke mince pies and a heated debate about the song Fairytale of New York.