Plebs to end after five seasons

\'Plebs\' will end after five seasons.

The ITV2 sitcom - which stars Tom Rosenthal and Ryan Sampson as Marcus Gallo and his slave Grumio - will not return for a sixth series but will end with a feature length special instead after production company Rise Films decided to end the show on a high.

Co-producer Sam Leifer told The Sun newspaper\'s Bizarre TV column: "After five series, we wanted to go out with a bang. So we\'re sending the plebs off to join the army.

"Unsurprisingly, they won\'t cover themselves in glory or return as conquering heroes.

"Personally, I\'m looking forward to watching Tom (Rosenthal) crawling on his hands and knees through the mud."

The upcoming special was due to be filmed this summer and shown on TV in the autumn but, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, filming could be delayed.

Since it premiered in 2013 Plebs has received a host of nominations and awards from Bafta, the Royal Television Society and the British Comedy Awards.

Set in ancient Rome, the show follows Gallo and Grumio as they deal with daily life in Ancient Rome.

It has featured cameos from a host of stars including \'Britain\'s Got Talent\' judge Amanda Holden, \'Blackadder\'s Tony Robinson. \'EastEnders\' actor Danny Dyer, comedian Aisling Bea, actor Christopher Biggins and Tom\'s sports broadcaster father Jim Rosenthal.

Meanwhile, Hollywood superstar Seth Rogen is reportedly interested in adapting \'Plebs\' for the big screen and he wants the cast to reprise their roles for the film.

A source previously explained: "\'Plebs\' has been a massive hit for ITV2 and is gaining fans all over the world including Australia."

Seth is also said to be interested in creating a US version of the show, but is seeking other actors to appear in the Stateside version.