The Cleaner cleans bloody crime scenes in this dark comedy series. This English comedy is based on the popular German comedy series – Der Tatortreiniger aka Crime Scene Cleaner.
This comedic show is set in a small town in the United Kingdom. In each episode, the protagonist Wicky (Greg Davies) undertakes a new adventure, as he cleans crime scenes.
Trailers of The Cleaner (Season 1 & Season 2-UK) Series
Synopsis (official) of The Cleaner (UK) Series
Paul “Wicky” Wickstead (Greg Davies) is a state-certified cleaning technician with a very special field of work as a crime scene cleaner responsible for the removal of any signs of death.
Spoiler Free Review of The Cleaner (UK) Series
Greg Davies leads the way
In this situation comedy (sitcom) show, the seasoned comedic actor Greg Davies is once again quite entertaining in the lead role of Paul “Wicky” Wickstead. Besides, in each of the episodes of the show, more often than not, we meet a fresh set of quirky characters. Each of them deals with absurd situations and undertakes an unusual set of activities.
In this show, actor Greg Davies (plays the lead character Wicky) stands tall at 6 ft 8 and quite often, he has to get down on his knees to clean a new crime scene in each episode. His tall presence in each of such macabre crime scenes seems absurd yet funny. So, when you watch these unique stories, at that moment, such scenes seem ludicrous and comical.
Episodes’ ratings – Season 1 (2021) of the Series
| Episodes | Titles | Synopsis of the episodes | FM Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Widow | Professional crime scene cleaner Wicky has to mop up after a particularly grisly murder. Helena Bonham Carter plays the widow – Shiela. | 3.85/5 |
| 2 | The Writer | Novelist Terence (David Mitchell) has two problems: his gran recently passed away and he has writer’s block; Wicky thinks these issues might be related. | 3.70/5 |
| 3 | The Neighbour | When he brings the wrong keys to a crime scene, Wicky clashes with a neighbour (Ruth Madeley) and might have met his match. | 3.75/5 |
| 4 | The Aristocrat | Wicky arrives at a stately home to clean up a burglary gone wrong. But things are not quite what they seem, and Wicky’s morals are tested. Stephanie Cole plays the aristocrat – Vivien Hozier. | 3.75/5 |
| 5 | The Influencer | Wicky visits an influencer (Layton Williams) with millions of followers and an obsession with the 1980s. | 3.70/5 |
| 6 | The One | Crime scene cleaner Wicky heads to the country to clean up a nasty mess in a holiday home and bumps into his first ‘real’ girlfriend – Maggie (Jo Hartley). | 3.75/5 |
It has a bunch of well-known comedic stars
We find his Wicky (Greg Davies) character to be Wacky! Then, there are a bunch of well-known comedic actors and actresses making special appearances in one episode of the series – Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell, Harriet Walter, Donald Sumpter, Stephanie Cole, Zoë Wanamaker, et al. They too add their personal comic touch to its story.
Episodes’ ratings – Season 2 (2023) of the Series
| Episodes | Titles | Synopsis of the episodes | FM Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Transactions | Wicky cleans up after a lethal brawl in a pub; he’s meant to be off the booze. Harriet Walter plays the landlady of the bar – Lisa. | 3.70/5 |
| 2 | The Clown | Wicky is called to a theatre where a male strip show has gotten out of hand. John Macmillan plays the clown – Strazzamo. | 3.50/5 |
| 3 | The Night Shift | After a shooting in a tech shop, Wicky ends up working alongside a conspiracy theorist. Asim Chaudhry plays the night shift worker Kai. | 3.60/5 |
| 4 | The Shaman | After a death at a stately home, Wicky encounters a shaman (Alex Lawther) with his own mystical agenda. | 3.65/5 |
| 5 | The Statue | Wicky is called to a quiet town where a row has broken out over a statue. | 3.75/5 |
| 6 | The Dead End | A gamekeeper gets killed in rural Wales; Wicky has to clean up the mess. | 3.80/5 |
The conclusion
Across two seasons, our favourite tales are – The Widow, The Neighbour, The Statue and The Dead End. All in all, it is a light-hearted comedy and a good show to pass your time.
Overall Ratings of this dark comedy series from the United Kingdom
| Particulars | S1 (2021) | S2 (2023) |
| FM rating | 3.75/5 | 3.65/5 |
Poster of The Cleaner (UK/2021 & 2023) Series
Key details about this dark comedy series from the United Kingdom
| Genre | Comedy |
| First Season & Episodes | Season One – Six (6) Episodes – September & October 2021 |
| Second Season & Episodes | Season Two – Six (6) Episodes – March 2023 |
| Creator | Mizzi Meyer |
| First (S1) Season Cast | Season One – Greg Davies, Zita Sattar, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Chowdhry, Shobu Kapoor, etc. |
| Second (S2) Season Cast | Season Two – Greg Davies, Zita Sattar, Harriet Walter, John Macmillan, Charlie Rawes, Simon Callow, etc. |
| Network | BBC | Amazon Prime Video |
Check out the official website of the UK's comedic actor Greg Davies | https://gregdavies.co.uk/
In case, you love watching English language comedy shows, then check out FM’s list of Top 10 English Comedy Series, our article piece. Enjoy.
Featured & Other Images: The Cleaner | BBC.
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