90-minute special next Easter

Alan Davies is to return for a one-off Jonathan Creek special next Easter.

He will again be reunited with Sheridan Smith for the The Clue of the Savant’s Thumb – which involves a secret society, seemingly supernatural events at a girls’ boarding school, and the disappearance of a body in front of three witnesses.

Davies said: ‘The new story has more than the usual amount of twists and surprises, and I'm very much looking forward to sleuthing again. It's nearly 17 years since I first auditioned for the part; the duffle coat is always on standby, even if the periods of duffle-hibernation are quite long these days.’

The news comes after Davies complained about the lack of money the BBC was prepared to invest in the series.

He said last week: ‘At the moment the BBC want to pay me less than they paid me in 1998, so it's really a bit of a issue in the financial situation. There's a willingness and a desire to make the programme and I'm fairly confident it will get made but it's a bit of a grim time. It's the same in all industries isn't it? Everyone's got these stories to tell.’

Filming will begin on The Clue of the Savant’s Thumb – to be written by the show’s creator David Renwick – later this month.

Pete Thornton, creative head of the BBC’s in-house comedy department, said: ‘A new Creek script from David is always a joy.’

Davies also said he hoped the 90-minute Easter special – the first new episode in three years – might pave the way for more. ‘I like doing them, they're quite fun to do,’ he said.

Last month, Davies revealed that he had only returned to stand-up because his restaurant-based sitcom Whites had been axed by the BBC.

‘The canning of Whites, the BBC Two sitcom I did, was disappointing – I thought it was a mistake,’ he told Metro. ‘If that had gone again I’d be doing that rather than stand-up.’

Published: 5 Dec 2012