Wicky is back. Honestly, if you haven’t seen Greg Davies mop up a crime scene with a mix of existential dread and genuine curiosity, you’re missing out on some of the best British comedy in years. The Cleaner Season 3 isn't just another batch of episodes; it’s a masterclass in how to keep a simple premise feeling fresh.
People love blood. Well, they love the aftermath of it when it’s handled by Paul "Wicky" Wickstead. He’s the guy who comes in when the police are done, the yellow tape is gone, and there’s nothing left but a very messy carpet and a lot of uncomfortable questions. It’s a weird job. Wicky treats a quadruple homicide like most of us treat a spreadsheet error at 4:30 PM on a Friday. He just wants to get it done and get to the pub.
What’s Actually New in The Cleaner Season 3?
The BBC officially greenlit the third outing because, frankly, the ratings for the second season were massive. When you have a show based on the German hit Der Tatortreiniger, you have a blueprint, but Davies has morphed this into something uniquely British and incredibly strange. This season, the stakes feel a bit more personal. We aren’t just looking at random deaths; we’re looking at how Wicky fits into a world that seems increasingly chaotic.
Expect cameos. Lots of them. That’s the secret sauce of this show. In the past, we’ve seen everyone from Helena Bonham Carter to David Mitchell. Season 3 continues that trend of "Who’s that?" moments.
It’s about the dialogue. The scripts, written by Davies along with several guest writers, rely on that awkward, stilted conversation you only have with a stranger when one of you is scrubbing brains off a mantelpiece. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s deeply human.
The Evolution of Wicky
Wicky hasn’t changed much, but his environment has. He still wears that white hazmat suit like a second skin. He still argues about the most trivial things imaginable while surrounded by tragedy. But in The Cleaner Season 3, there's a sense that the job is starting to wear on him in a way we haven't seen before.
He’s a man of routine. He likes his chemicals. He likes his specialized brushes. But life has a way of ruining routines.
One of the best things about this season is the way it handles isolation. Wicky is alone most of the time, yet he’s constantly interrupted by the living. It’s a paradox. You’d think a crime scene cleaner would have a quiet life. Nope. Not Wicky. Whether it’s an eccentric relative of the deceased or a neighbor who just wants to chat about the local football scores, he can never just clean in peace.
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Why This Show Avoids the Procedural Trap
Most "crime" shows are about the who and the why. This show is about the what now? There is no mystery to solve. The crime has happened. The body is gone. Wicky is the biological janitor. Because the show removes the "whodunnit" element, it forces the audience to focus on the character dynamics. It’s basically a series of two-hander plays set in gruesome locations.
Breaking Down the Episode Structure
- The Set-up: Wicky arrives. He’s usually annoyed by the parking situation or the lack of a decent cup of tea.
- The Encounter: He meets someone he shouldn't. A widow, a criminal, a ghost (metaphorically... usually).
- The Conflict: Usually over something stupid. A lost key. A specific cleaning product. A moral dilemma that Wicky didn't ask for.
- The Clean: The physical act of cleaning acts as a ticking clock. When the floor is shiny, the episode is over.
It’s a brilliant format. It’s contained, cheap to produce (relatively), and allows for incredible acting performances because there’s nowhere to hide.
The Cast That Makes it Work
Zita Sattar returns as PS Ruth Edwards. Her chemistry with Davies is the closest thing the show has to a grounding emotional center. While Wicky is out in the wild, Ruth is the tether to reality. Their bickering feels lived-in. It feels real.
But let’s talk about the guest stars for a second. Without spoiling the specifics of the new episodes, the casting directors for Season 3 have outdone themselves. They’ve leaned into the "theatre of the absurd." You get actors you’d usually see in a heavy Shakespearean drama suddenly arguing about the best way to remove blood from a velvet sofa. It’s jarring in the best way possible.
Technical Details: Production and Direction
The direction in The Cleaner Season 3 has taken a slight turn toward the cinematic. While the first season felt very "sitcom," the new episodes use the claustrophobia of the crime scenes to build genuine tension.
The lighting is harsher. The sound design—the scrubbing, the splashing of water, the squeak of rubber gloves—is heightened. It makes you feel the grime. You almost want to wash your hands after watching it.
The production team, Studio Hamburg UK, has kept the DNA of the original German series while letting Davies run wild with the British vernacular. It’s a tough balance. If you go too dark, you lose the comedy. If you go too broad, you lose the impact of the death. They hit the "sweet spot" of melancholy.
What Most People Get Wrong About The Cleaner
A lot of people think this is a show about death. It isn't.
It’s a show about life.
It’s about the mess people leave behind—not just the physical mess, but the emotional baggage. Wicky is the filter through which we see the aftermath of human choices. He’s cynical, sure. He’s seen it all. But beneath the sarcasm and the frustration, there’s a weird kind of empathy. He respects the dead by making sure their final "mark" on the world is wiped away, leaving things as they were before the tragedy.
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It’s a weirdly noble profession when you think about it that way.
The Cultural Impact of Greg Davies
Greg Davies is a giant. Literally and figuratively. His physical comedy is legendary, but The Cleaner Season 3 showcases his range. He can do the "angry man shouting at clouds" bit better than anyone, but he also does "quietly overwhelmed" remarkably well.
He’s become a staple of British TV. Between Taskmaster and this, he’s everywhere. But The Cleaner feels like his most personal project. You can tell he loves the character. He’s mentioned in interviews how much he enjoys the "contained" nature of the stories.
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you’re planning to dive into the new season, here’s how to get the most out of it:
Watch the original German series if you can find it. It’s fascinating to see where the ideas started. Der Tatortreiniger is a masterpiece in its own right, and seeing how Davies adapted specific episodes versus where he wrote entirely new material is a treat for TV nerds.
Don't binge it all at once. I know, I know. It’s tempting. But these episodes are like short stories. They need to breathe. The ending of one episode often leaves a lingering "ooh, that was dark" feeling that you should sit with for a minute before jumping into the next one.
Pay attention to the background. The production design is incredible. The "clutter" in the houses Wicky cleans tells a story of its own. You can often figure out who the victim was just by looking at the books on their shelves or the photos on their walls before Wicky even says a word.
Final Thoughts on the Future
Will there be a Season 4? Based on the quality of The Cleaner Season 3, there’s no reason to stop. As long as people keep dying in interesting ways and Greg Davies is willing to put on the suit, Wicky has work to do.
The world is messy. We need someone to clean it up.
Next Steps for Viewers:
- Check the BBC iPlayer schedules: Ensure you're caught up on the first two seasons; the small callbacks to Wicky’s personal life (and his obsession with his mom’s cooking) actually matter for his character arc in Season 3.
- Look for the "Behind the Scenes" shorts: The BBC often releases "making of" clips where Davies talks about the guest stars. They’re usually as funny as the show itself.
- Explore the soundtrack: The music in Season 3 is particularly effective at setting that "unsettling but funny" tone—keep an ear out for the transition cues.
The show remains a jewel in the BBC's comedy crown. It’s unapologetic, often gross, and surprisingly moving. Wicky might just be the hero we deserve: a man who doesn't want to save the world, he just wants to make sure the floor isn't sticky.