BBC CONFIRMS ONE-OFF CLEANER SPECIAL WITH GREG DAVIES

The BBC has confirmed that Greg Davies' sitcom The Cleaner will return with a one-off Christmas special titled The Cleaner in Italy. Davies will reprise his role as Paul "Wicky" Wickstead, a crime scene cleaner whose job involves cleaning up after criminal incidents. Filming has already begun on the special episode. The cast will include Robert Webb, Peter Serafinowicz, Kevin Eldon, Tori Allen-Martin, Veronica Ferres, Zita Sattar, Milanka Brooks and Dylan Blore.

The special follows Wicky reluctantly joining his girlfriend Ruth on a hiking holiday in the Italian Dolomites with her friends. After an accident occurs, he faces the rest of the trip alone in a remote mountain hotel, where his boredom turns to paranoia. Davies said of the character: "I think Wicky has got to the stage in life where he only likes three things: his job, going to the pub and beer. To get the opportunity to force him to go to Italy on a hiking holiday is the perfect opportunity to test his breaking point."

Vivien Muller-Rommel, executive producer, stated: "We're absolutely delighted to be back with Greg, our brilliant guest cast and our fantastic crew for this very special episode." Ben Caudell, commissioning editor for the BBC, added that the special "brings together a terrific cast and an inventive new setting" and confirmed it will air over the festive period. The one-off episode marks the return of the character Davies is known for portraying in the comedy series.