THE black humour of a Channel 4 television comedy about an American funeral home has led to a wave of job inquiries, an undertaker has said.

The North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op Funeral Service said the role of the undertaker had been brought into the spotlight by the US hit series Six Feet Under.

The dark entertainment, based on the lives of a family who run an independent funeral home, has gained a cult status in the past two years.

The Co-op said it had received a number of calls about employment.

"It seems that when funerals are thrust into the limelight by TV programmes we are inundated with inquiries of how to get work in the industry," said Kevin McAlister, North-East and Cumbria area manager for Co-op Funerals.

This is not the first time a television storyline has provoked an interest in undertaking. Mr McAlister said that Archie Shuttleworth's first appearance as an undertaker in Coronation Street caused a great deal of interest, and when he enlisted hairdresser Audrey Roberts to be a beautician to the deceased that also led to an increase in inquiries.

The North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-Operative Funeral Service has 87 funeral homes and employs more than 450 people across both regions.