Nicholas Lyndhurst fronted sci-fi fave could return, 10 years after an emotional farewell one-off special.
Goodnight Sweetheart aired from 1993 to 1999, with a special episode in 2016 bringing the time-travelling Gary Sparrow back to the small screen.
However, a revival could be in the works… if only the BBC would ask.
Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran told The Sun they would be prepared to time portal this sitcom to the future, if Nicholas was up for it.
Laurence said: ‘If we were asked by the BBC “would you do a one-off” and we rang Nic and the girls, they would probably say yes.
‘But they’d want to know that they’re playing the ages they are. We would only do it if we had our cast.’
In the show, Gary lives a double life between his wife Yvonne Sparrow in 1993 London and Phoebe Bamford, a barmaid whom he meets in the 40s after travelling back in time.
Maurice quipped: ‘If anyone on TV suddenly found a few million quid they want to find a home for, then we could make it.’
Nicholas, 64, has returned to acting after stepping away following the death of his son at just 19 years old in September 2020 from a brain tumour.
At the time, it was reported – sparked by Laurence’s comments – that the Only Fools and Horses actor was retiring, which was denied by his reps.
‘Of course he and his wife are devastated by the sudden loss of their young son but Mr. Lyndhurst will continue his career with any parts and scripts that attract him,’ they said.
Nicholas’ representatives added that ‘he continues to constantly receive offers.’
He has since returned to the screen in the Frasier revival as Professor Alan Cornwall, which ran for two seasons before being cancelled.
Despite being off air for almost 20 years, Goodnight Sweetheart’s popularity proved steadfast as it attracted almost five million viewers.
Many Happy Returns was created as part of the BBC’s Landmark Sitcom Season, with the original cast returning.
There is already potential material for another special, as the writers are releasing a book – titled Goodnight Sweetheart: Many Happy Returns – in May.
The plot picks up just before the events of the special, which was set in the spring of 1962, when Marilyn Monroe sang at President Kennedy’s birthday party.
The famous rendition of Happy Birthday has ramifications for Gary as when he first met his wartime sweetheart Phoebe, he told her the girl he left behind in Los Angeles was called Marilyn Monroe.
‘Marks and Gran’ are responsible for writing some of Britain’s best-loved TV sitcoms, including The New Statesman and Birds of a Feather, as well as comedy drama series Love Hurts.
Maurice previously revealed it was the BBC’s decision to commission the Goodnight Sweetheart special to celebrate 60 years of comedy that inspired him and co-creator Laurence to come up with new ideas for the characters.
He said: ‘In 2016, we were asked to revive it. The BBC were doing a number of tributes to classic comedy.
‘We found a way to bring him back again, which I thought was quite fun and it was a good show, it was a well-received show.
‘Unfortunately, the BBC decided they didn’t want to do a series of it, which was extremely annoying, because we had the whole cast and they were really up for it, Nick was up for it.
‘It was great and it made us think that maybe we’ll do something in another medium because we had a lot of good ideas for it.’
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