Peter Kay in talks for new BBC show after taking long showbiz break due to ‘unforeseen family circumstances’
PETER Kay has not been on our screens since a van took off the door of his Fiat 500 in the final episode of Car Share last year. But following his enforced break for “unforeseen family circumstances”, BBC bosses have started a dialogue with the Bolton comic about a new project. A TV source said: […]
PETER Kay has not been on our screens since a van took off the door of his Fiat 500 in the final episode of Car Share last year.
But following his enforced break for “unforeseen family circumstances”, BBC bosses have started a dialogue with the Bolton comic about a new project.
A TV source said: “A conversation has been had between Peter and the BBC. There is no rush and whatever happens will always be dictated by Peter but a new project has been discussed.
“It’s exciting news for Peter’s fans, who have yet to see the void left by Car Share filled.”
That brilliant final episode of the award- winning sitcom pulled in 8.8million viewers when it was screened in May 2018.
But five months earlier, after filming that episode, Peter had cancelled all further work projects including what would have been his first live stand-up tour in eight years.
The funnyman has rarely been seen in public since.
In April last year, he appeared at a charity screening of Car Share’s finale in Blackpool — and was snapped a year later in the seaside town enjoying a ride on a tram.
Peter’s Car Share co-star Sian Gibson teased earlier this year that the series would one day return.
Speaking after picking up the comedy’s third National Television Award in January, she said: “We left it open — maybe, maybe not.”
Whatever Peter decides to do, viewers will lap it up.
Jason is ghost with the most
WITH a stellar cast and the writer behind Peaky Blinders, A Christmas Carol will be one of BBC1’s biggest festive dramas.
British actor Jason Flemyng, star of Snatch and X-Men: First Class, will play the Ghost of Christmas Future in the three-parter, which airs on December 22, 23 and 24, with Guy Pearce as Scrooge and Stephen Graham playing the ghost of Jacob Marley.
Jason’s role was meant to have been played by the late Rutger Hauer but the Blade Runner star fell ill and had to pull out just before filming began. He died in July, aged 75.
A TV insider said: “The planning for any drama, particularly a period classic which purists demand has to be perfect, is always meticulous and detailed.
“So when one of the major stars falls out, it causes the creators a huge headache. And Rutger’s part was not minor – he was one of the ghosts who haunts Ebenezer Scrooge.
“The team had a lot of scrambling around at the last minute to find an actor of similar calibre.”
The adaptation of A Christmas Carol comes from Steven Knight, the writer who gave us Peaky Blinders and Taboo, and its executive producers are Tom Hardy and Holly-wood giant Ridley Scott.
It was director Nick Murphy who saved the day and suggested Jason, who he worked with on 2018 Sky drama, Save Me.
I’m sure Rutger would have approved of his replacement.
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- WHAT? The Case of Sally Challen, BBC2, 9pm.
- WHY? Story behind David Challen’s successful mission to overturn his mum’s murder conviction after she bludgeoned his dad to death with a hammer.
Gun rampage is ‘realistic’
CORONATION Street bosses have defended their shooting storyline, saying it shows the consequences of real life.
The controversial scenes will see Craig Els’ character Derek Milligan kill at least one person as he shoots up the street after falling into debt to Gary Windass (Mikey North).
Producer Iain MacLeod said: “I’m aware that the presence of firearms on the Street is a controversial one – it isn’t a decision we took lightly.
“Doing something involving firearms would provide a realistic and truthful pay-off to the story about loan-sharking and the pressures of poverty and the mental collapse that can cause.”
It’s sure to be tense viewing this Christmas on ITV.
Summer looks cool for Gats
SUMMER Monteys-Fullam has been in demand since splitting from portly baker Paul Hollywood – and now Towie’s Liam “Gatsby” Blackwell is the latest fella to try his luck.
She showed off her figure to the max in chic black, with low-cut top, as she arrived arm in arm with Liam for a screening of new war film 1917 at London’s Soho Hotel.
It’s a sight that would surely make ex Paul weep into his cream buns.
bizbit
FORMER Strictly pro Natalie Lowe has given birth. She said on Twitter: “Overjoyed to announce the arrival of Jack James Knibbs, weighing in at 8lb 8oz. We’re doing amazingly well and are so grateful for this gift of life.”
Mary’s family McTrips
KITCHEN queen Mary Berry once famously claimed she has never eaten a takeaway and instead makes quick dinners from scratch.
But the judge on BBC’s Britain’s Best Home Cook, which returns to screens on January 2, does go to McDonald’s with her grandkids, who love fast food.
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She said: “I have never had a takeaway. And that is purely because we live a long way from the town, but why should I? I can muster up things very quickly.
“I’ve been to McDonald’s with grandchildren and they enjoy it a lot.”
Mary is returning to judge the UK’s home cooks on BBC1 with Chris Bavin and Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett, while Claudia Winkleman will continue to host.
I’m impressed that she’s never succumbed to the lure of a chicken chow mein on a Friday night.
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