Family Guy promises a 'Christmas miracle'

Reports of Brian the dog’s demise on Family Guy may have been premature.

The character was killed off on an episode which aired in the States on November 24, the victim of a hit-and-run driver, and at the time executive producer Steve Callaghan called the death ‘a fun way to shake things up,’ after 11 seasons.

However, a new festive episode due to air on the Fox network on December 15 promises a ‘Christmas miracle’ - and lists Brian among the cast list.

An episode synopsis posted on the broadcaster’s website says: ‘Stewie devises a master plan to get the one and only thing he wants for Christmas.’

In last month’s episodes writers went to great lengths to explain that Stewie’s time machine could not be used to bring his friend back from the dead.

At the time, Callaghan said: ‘We got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters’ - but the development caused uproar among some of the animated series’s fans.

However, reported plots for at least one future episode features Brian, who is voiced by series creator Seth Macfarlane.

Published: 7 Dec 2013