Five Go Mad... revival for Gold

The Comic Strip team are to make another instalment of their Famous Five spoofs, 30 years after the first episode.

And the new show will go out on UK TV Gold, the first time they have made a film for a digital TV channel.

The Comic Strip Presents: Five Go To Rehab will return to the rural setting of the original Five Go Mad In Dorset, where the strand made its debut on Channel 4’s opening night in 1982.

The Comic Strip – which last year made the one-off The Hunt For Tony Blair – previously returned to the Enid Blyton spoof for the 1983 episode Five Go Mad On Mescalin.

Their new script will catch up with the characters, who are now stuck in 'mundane jobs in accountancy and failed marriages'. while two of the pals are being treated for alcohol abuse.

The commission, reported on trade website Broadcast. follows Gold’s revival of Yes, Prime Minister and is part of the channel's drive to make more of its own shows rather than relying on reruns.

Original writers Peter Richardson and Peter Richens will script the show, while negotiations are said to be under way to sign original cast members including Dawn French, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders and Robbie Coltrane.

Executive prodder Nick Smith told Broadcast:'Gold has shown a lot of The Comic Strip films, so we had a good relationship, and the anniversary project seemed to be a perfect fit for the channel because of its retro feel'

Published: 14 Jun 2012