Yahoo Lifestyle 'DIY SOS' star Nick Knowles hints BBC dropped his history show because he's 'not posh'
Nick Knowles has suggested his educational history series was axed because he’s “not posh”.
The DIY SOS star hosted Historyonics in 2004 but, although it was a hit with fans, a second series wasn’t commissioned and only short clips are currently available on the BBC iPlayer.
When a fan brought it up with the TV star on Twitter, he quipped that it just wasn’t “Oxbridge” enough.
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The fan tweeted: “Nick, why have I never seen Historyonics repeated? I’d forgotten how funny and Pythonesque it was. Everything else gets repeats - this only short clips on BBC site."
“Yes it was all very odd,” replied Knowles.
"It was the highest rated history show on BBC1 ever getting up to 7 million viewers, which is unheard of. Factually correct & funny but I wrote it and I’m not posh!"
Yes it was all very odd
It was the highest rated history show on BBC1 ever getting up to 7 million viewers which is unheard of
Factually correct & funny but I wrote it and I’m not posh!
Teachers loved it to teach & used it but no second series & not repeated once
Odd
Not oxbridge https://t.co/gh2txTNP5G— Nick Knowles (@MrNickKnowles) September 22, 2021
He went on: "Teachers loved it to teach & used it but no second series & not repeated once. Odd.
"Not Oxbridge."
Knowles also suggested that if the show had been presented by someone like Dan Snow it might have secured another run.
Can you imagine Lovely Dan Snow writing a family history show getting 7 million viewers and it not getting a second series, never being repeated and not available to download 😂😂
Many teachers asked @BBCOne to repeat it or make it available to download but never seen again 🤷🏼♂️ https://t.co/JXlMOJ4lgy— Nick Knowles (@MrNickKnowles) September 22, 2021
"Can you imagine Lovely Dan Snow writing a family history show, getting 7 million viewers and it not getting a second series, never being repeated and not available to download," he said.
"Many teachers asked @BBCOne to repeat it or make it available to download but never seen again."
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The fan urged the BBC to start airing the programme again, and then joked: “I’m no expert but did some snobby person in BBC History Dept decide it was too populist and blackball a second series because you don’t have a History doctorate?”
Couldn’t possibly comment 😂😂 but it’s fair to say it’s difficult to imagine any of the posher history types getting those figures and it never being seen again
— Nick Knowles (@MrNickKnowles) September 22, 2021
Knowles replied: “Couldn’t possibly comment, but it’s fair to say it’s difficult to imagine any of the posher history types getting those figures and it never being seen again.”
Yahoo has contacted the BBC for comment.
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