BBC Three has axed three of its comedy series.

How Not To Live Your Life, Lunch Monkeys and Coming of Age have all been given the chop by new controller Zai Bennett.

He yesterday announced a raft of new comedy commissions, but has had to clear others out to make room in the schedules.

In an interview with trade magazine Broadcast, Bennett said the shows had been ‘good to the channel, but have had their time’.

A Christmas special will round off Dan Clark’s How Not to Live Your Life after four series. The other programmes will not return at all.

Although sixth form comedy Coming Of Age was derided by critics for its base humour, it proved relatively popular with its target audience. However office sitcom Lunch Monkeys never found a strong audience, with its first series averaging just 325,000 viewers.

Published: 27 May 2011