Sarah Parish Calls Controversial Police Comedy ‘Piglets’ Silly and Over the Top

Sarah Parish, the lead star of ITV’s forthcoming police comedy Piglets, has described the controversial series as “silly, on steroids.”

Despite not being released yet, the show has sparked significant debate due to its title, prompting a critical response from the Police Federation.

Tiffany Lynch, the deputy national chair of the group, condemned the title Piglets – a play on the derogatory term “pigs” for police officers – calling it a “disgusting choice of language.”

During the ITV press conference for the comedy, where Parish participated in an onstage Q&A, the controversy over the name was not addressed.

In the series, Parish portrays a superintendent overseeing new staff recruits at a police academy. Alongside other superior officers, she is on a mission to uncover a mole who has joined the force with ill intentions.

Friday Night Dinner’s Mark Heap, who also stars as a fellow superintendent, urged the audience at the press conference: “Watch. It. Please.”

Parish shared with reporters that she had always wanted to work with Heap, describing their collaboration as a fun experience and a “great playground” for improvisation.

Lynch went further, calling the title “highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day, providing an emergency service.” She argued that the term was “inflammatory against a landscape of rising threats and violence against officers.”

“We should not be put at further risk for viewing numbers. Our officers deserve respect, not humiliation for the job they are undertaking,” Lynch added.

In response, ITV issued a statement, saying, “Piglets is a fictional new comedy about a police training academy and the title is not intended to cause any offence. It’s a comedic and endearing play on words to emphasise the innocence and youth of our young trainees.”

In the show’s first episode, the term “Piglets” is depicted as having been spray-painted by vandals on the police academy’s sign, which is later cleaned up.

Towards the episode’s conclusion, the police staff expel a trainee with ties to a right-wing organization, portraying the force as strict and unaccepting of hate.

Besides Parish and Heap, the ensemble cast includes Callie Cooke, Ricky Champ, and Ukweli Roach, among others. The series is set to premiere on ITV on 20 July.