# The Cleaner (2021)

> A bumbling crime scene cleaner mops up the grisly aftermath of violent deaths and then heads to the pub, where the job is all in a day's work.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/109212

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Greg Davies, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Chowdhry, Shobu Kapoor, David Mitchell, Georgie Glen, Jane Lewis, Darren Gordon
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12994356/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, gallows humour, wry, warm, gritty

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series as mixed but improving, with later seasons earning higher ratings than the first.

## Synopsis

The Cleaner (2021-2024) is a British comedy series created for BBC One, a short workplace sitcom with three seasons and eighteen half-hour episodes. Greg Davies plays Paul Wickstead, a large, gruff crime scene cleaner who arrives after the police and forensic teams have finished, tackling the bloody remains left behind. Each episode gives him a grisly new job, and the comedy comes from his stubborn, awkward competence and the bleak matter-of-factness with which he treats it. Guest turns from Helena Bonham Carter as Sheila, David Mitchell as Terence Redford, and Ruth Madeley as Helena add sharp contrast to his solitary routine, while the day always winds down at the local pub. The tone is deadpan and gallows-humoured, with warmth underneath the grime and a steady sense of ordinary people coping with extraordinary mess. Its appeal lies in the contrast between its morbid premise and its cosy, character-driven British sitcom style. Fans of Peep Show, The Office (UK) and Six Feet Under will find resonance in its dry humour and dark workplace setting.

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