Writer Simon Blackwell is adapting his scripts

The David Mitchell and Robert Webb sitcom Back could be heading for a US remake.

Writer Simon Blackwell, whose credits also include Veep and Breeders, is working on an adaptation for the HBO.

If greenlit, it would again be made by UK production house  Big Talk, whose chief executive Kenton Allen broke the news in an interview with industry website Deadline.

The original ran for two seasons on Channel 4 in 2017 and 2021, with the long gap between series down to Covid and Webb requiring heart surgery.  It also aired on  Sundance TV and IFC in the US 

Mitchell played Stephen, who was in line to take over his recently deceased father’s family business – a Gloucestershire pub – when his estranged foster brother, Andrew (Webb), a potential sociopath, came back on the scene. 

Matthew Holness played Stephen’s deceased father in flashbacks, while the cast also included Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning as Jan, a barmaid.

Mitchell’s latest project with Big Talk, Ludwig, landed on BBC iPlayer last week.

In the same interview, Allen revealed his company was also working on a UK remake of Cheers and a new hospital-based animated comedy from Ghosts co-writers Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond.

Published: 1 Oct 2024