ITV has confirmed it’s reviving 90’s sitcom Birds of a Feather.
The series, which originally aired on BBC One between 1989 and 1998, stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson as sisters whose husbands have been jailed for armed robbery.
Both Quirke and Robson will return for the new 8-part series alongside fellow original cast member Lesley Joseph who played man crazy neighbor Dorian.
The series will film later this year for a 2014 transmission and is being produced by rights holders FremantleMedia and QuirkyMedia.
In March Quirke told ITV’s This Morning that the script for a revival was “on the desk at the BBC” and they were awaiting a decision.
However reports suggest the BBC passed on a regular series, preferring to make only a Christmas special, a decision which led the producers to take the idea of a revival to ITV.
An ITV Spokesperson said, “We can confirm that we have commissioned a new series of Birds of a Feather and we’re really excited to be welcoming Sharon, Tracey and Dorien to ITV. We will confirm more details in due course.”
Last year the BBC lost out on a new series of Yes, Prime Minister after asking the show’s creators to make a pilot episode. The show was later picked up by UKTV for its GOLD channel.
Original writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran will return to the show, alongside writing duo Gary Lawson and John Phelps.