The Office icon's new comedy series Small Prophets finally confirms release date with exclusive first look trailer
Get ready for Mackenzie Crook's first series since the end of Detectorists.
The Office icon Mackenzie Crook's highly anticipated return to comedy is almost here, with the air date for Small Prophets having been confirmed alongside the release of a first-look trailer.
The six-part series, which Crook has created and stars in alongside Pearce Quigley, Lauren Patel, Sir Michael Palin, Sophie Willan, Jon Pointing and Paul Kaye, will start airing on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from Monday 9th February, with further episodes arriving each Monday night.
The newly released trailer, which you can watch exclusively on RadioTimes.com below, sees Palin's character Brian sharing a recipe with his son, Michael, to create Homunculi - magical prophesying spirits that can predict the future.
Michael turns to help from his work mate Kacey, played by Lauren Patel, but the duo have to fend off Willan's nosy neighbour and their manager Gordon, played by Crook. At the end of the trailer, a small hand is seen emerging from a jar - suggesting Brian's recipe has worked.
You can watch the trailer right here now.
The comedy series is the first to be created by Crook since the end of his hit show Detectorists, and it will incorporate animation elements, as it tells a story of friendships and hope, the magical and the mundane, and where secrets and lies lurk in a suburban cul-de-sac.
When the project was first announced, Crook said in a statement: "Like all my best ideas, this one has been percolating for nearly a decade and is finally ready to see the light of day. It’s wonderful to be working again with my friends Gill Isles and Pearce Quigley and to realise a long-term ambition of collaborating with animators Ainslie Henderson and Will Anderson."
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Meanwhile, Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, added: "BBC viewers are in for a treat with BAFTA winner Mackenzie Crook’s Small Prophets.
"This magical comedy series brims with wit and wonder - from Mackenzie himself and Sir Michael Palin to Sophie Willan, Pearce Quigley, Lauren Patel and Jon Pointing - and is backed by a top-tier creative team and stunning animation. It’s British comedy at its finest."
Small Prophets will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Monday nights from 9th February 2026.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
