This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

It was a piece of brilliant comic timing: as BBC4's Olympic mockumentary Twenty Twelve starring Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes gently poked fun at the idea of a countdown clock, its real life, London 2012 equivalent ground to a halt.

And now the comedy's "Olympic Deliverance Committee" is to return for a second bout of ineffectual planning and wasted meetings ahead of the games next summer, with BBC4 confirming that it has recommissioned the series.

Written and directed by John Morton (People Like Us), the show stars Bonneville as harried boss Ian Fletcher, and Hynes as the scene-stealingly clueless "head of brand". It also featured a cameo from Sebastian Coe.

Reviews for Twenty Twelve have been mixed – with some critics complaining the show lacks the necessary satirical bite, while others have praised its subtle, mockumentary approach.

The show also ran into controversy over claims from producers of Australian Olympic comedy The Games that the BBC copied their ideas; allegations the BBC dismissed.

Richard Klein, controller of BBC4, said: "Twenty Twelve is deliciously topical, wickedly funny and sometimes uncannily close to real life. It has captured the imagination and shows that, above all, the British don't take themselves too seriously."

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