Rev: Third series will be its last 'for the time being'
Rev star Tom Hollander has revealed the hit BBC comedy will take a break after its third series, due this spring.
The actor, who also created the Bafta-winning show, told the TV Times it would end "for the time being" as he did not want the quality to suffer.
The new series will see Reverend Adam Smallbone and his wife, played by Olivia Colman, coping with parenthood.
But Hollander told the magazine "that's it", adding: "We love it, so it's nice to keep it special."
"We don't want to overdo it to the point where we've done it so much, it gets worse," he said.
Series three will see an award-winning modern artist played by Dexter Fletcher join the inner city parish, while Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak will play the local Imam.
Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville will return as Adam's arch nemesis Roland Wise, while Ralph Fiennes plays the Bishop of London.
Regular cast members Simon McBurney and Miles Jupp will also be back for the series, which is co-written by James Woods.
The second series was screened on BBC Two in 2012, but producers were forced to delay filming on the third as Hollander and Colman's careers blossomed.
However Hollander gave Rev fans hope it may return in the future for a one-off special or another series.
"He's not killed off forever - but for the time being, we've told the story of Adam and Alex and the people who live in this parish," he said.
An American version of the show is also currently in development, set in a deprived neighbourhood of Chicago, with both Hollander and Woods as consultants.