Nicholas Lyndhurst is set to reprise his role as time traveller Gary Sparrow in a special one-off episode of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran’s Goodnight Sweetheart.
The much-loved sitcom ran for six series on BBC One and saw Sparrow splitting his time between London in the Second World War and 1990’s Britain.
With romances, and later marriages, in both timelines and Gary passing himself as a secret agent to his wartime buddies, the former TV repairman and accidental time traveller’s life grew ever more complicated.
The final episode saw Gary stranded in the 1940s with wartime bride Phoebe (Elizabeth Carling), seemingly separated forever from his present day wife Yvonne (Emma Amos).
Both Amos and Carling joined the show in series four following the departures of original actresses Michelle Holmes and Dervla Kirwan.
The BBC has yet to announce any casting beyond Lyndhurst’s for the special which will air as part its season celebrating the British sitcom.
Marks and Gran (Birds Of A Feather, The New Statesman) have written a brand new script which sees Gary Sparrow face the consequences of his time travel and go somewhere he’s never been before, as Goodnight Sweetheart is about to be catapulted into the 21st century.
The writing duo 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.”
Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning says: “The whole sitcom season is geared towards giving comedy royalty their due recognition, and in Goodnight Sweetheart we have heavy-weight 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.”
Jon Rolph, Executive Producer of Goodnight Sweetheart, says: “I’ve long been keen to catch up with the life and various times of Gary Sparrow, so it’s an absolute delight to see Goodnight Sweetheart take its place in the landmark sitcom season.”
