Time-travel sitcom back after 17 years

BBC One is to make another episode of Goodnight Sweetheart – 17 years after the last.

Nicholas Lyndhurst will reprise his role as time traveller Gary Sparrow for the show, which will be broadcast as part of this autumn’s Landmark Sitcom season.

And original creators Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have written the script in which ‘Sparrow faces the consequences of his time travel and go somewhere he’s never been before’. 

The original show ran for six series on BBC One from 1993 to 1999, following TV repairman Gary Sparrow’s trips between contemporary London and the London of the Blitz after discovering a time portal.

In the final episode, the time portal closed, leaving Gary stuck in the 1940s, after celebrating VE Day and saving Clement Attlee’s life.

Marks and Gran said: ‘Gary has been trying for the last 17 years to find a way back to the present. Now he’s found one, and he’s asked us to turn it into a TV show, featuring much-loved old Goodnight Sweetheart friends and one or two new ones.’

The Landmark Sitcom season involves remakes or spin-offs of many of the BBC’s comedy gems – including Are You Being Served?, Porridge and  Keeping Up Appearances –  alongside new pilots.

BBC comedy chief Shane Allen said: ‘The whole sitcom season is geared towards giving comedy royalty their due recognition, and in Goodnight Sweetheart we have heavyweight writing and performing talents reunited in this hugely popular and fondly-remembered show. The conceptual update is sublime and it was heart-skipping stuff to read – it’s an absolute belter.’

Goodnight Sweetheart will be produced by Humphrey Barclay and executive produced by Jon Rolph for the production company Retort.

Published: 5 Jul 2016