Britons 'want Del Boy TV return

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7182964.stm

Only Fools and Horses is the TV programme British viewers would most like to see back on their screens, a survey suggests.

The last episode of the show, starring David Jason as wheeler dealer Del Boy and Nicholas Lyndhurst as brother Rodney, was shown in December 2003.

US comedy Friends came second in the survey of 3,000 Britons by Onepoll.

Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese, was third, soap Brookside was fourth and US show Sex in the City was fifth.

The Trotter brothers, the creation of writer John Sullivan, first hit television screens in 1981.


TOP 10
Only Fools and Horses
Friends
Fawlty Towers
Brookside
Sex and the City
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Monty Python
The Krypton Factor
Big Breakfast
Absolutely Fabulous
Source: Onepoll

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Dodgy Del Boy, with catchphrases including "lovely jubbly" and "you plonker" is one of the UK's best loved television characters.

The show, set in Peckham, south London, consistently tops polls for best comedy programmes.

In 2004, it was voted the public's favourite television sitcom in a BBC search.

Onepoll spokesman John Sewell said the show was a British institution that had stood the test of time.

"But while you still laugh at the repeats of the oldest shows, it would be great to see some new episodes on our screens," he added.

Second-placed Friends ended in May 2004 after a 10-year run which drew millions of viewers from across the globe.

The final episode of the show's 10th season saw a conclusion of the on-off relationship of characters Ross and Rachel as they finally got back together.

Only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers - featuring characters Basil and Sybil Fawlty and first broadcast in 1975 - were ever made.

Brookside last appeared on Channel 4 in November 2003 while a big screen version of Sex and the City is currently in production.

Certain ones I can understand (Fawlty Towers for example as there's only 12 episodes but then again it's along time since they recorded it), but why OFAH & Friends. They bought back OFAH and it flopped and as for Friends I wish E4 would stop showing it, why not put Desmond's on in it's place

too late for brookside and big breakfast as the houses are lived in or soon will be

Then that would leave you with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Geller ruled out doing an eight series as she said it was best to finish on a high), Absolutely Fabulous (they tried that once before & that got mixed views) or The Krypton Factor which is the only one that could really work.

Another rather pointless poll, though nice to see Brookside, The Krypton Factor and The Big Breakfast in it - but no Crystal Maze?


Only Fools and Horse though - worst mistake ever bringing it back for three more episodes, it completely ruined the series as a whole, which had signed off with fond memories back in 1996.


That's why The Big Breakfast should be left to rest in piece, Brookside's time has been and gone but I definately think a revival of The Crystal Maze would work now.

The Krypton Factor I'm not so sure - I think they'd probably tamper to much with it and dumb it down.

These seem to happen every few years, I think one in 2004 had Eldorado at either number 1 or 2.

Thankfully its been left defunct.

I woudl like Proper Catchphrase or Stirke it rich back,

with AB fab that was a one off thing to see how there going!

I would bet that Father ted would be there if that was actully possible ?

Strike it Rich?!?!?!

IT WAS AND ALWAYS SHALL BE STRIKE IT LUCKY

Not if thames had anything to do with it! but I agree with you

OFAH I've never liked but its universally popular. For some reason.

Friends is aired day in and day out on E4, its as if it never ended.

Fawlty Towers has been out of production for years, some cast members are dead and John Cleese believed he couldn't improve on the 12 episodes they'd already made so it was pointless making a third series.

Brookside isn't going to happen.

Monty Python - according to Terry Jones in an article published on Reuters today, he says such a programme like Monty Python would never be commissioned in this day and age as apparently audience surveys suggest they don't like this sort of material.

Krypton Factor's been on the rumour mill for a revival for years, ever since the original show finished in 1995. Whether its going to happen is anybody's guess.

Big Breakfast - one of the reasons it went downhill in the first place was because it lost the original (and some might argue) the best presenters - Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin. The original house could be bulldozed to make way for the Olympics as its apparently only 200m away from where the stadium would be.

Two of my personal favourites that i'd like to see return is Bottom and Shooting Stars. A fourth series of Bottom was rejected by "some BBC bitch" according to Rik Mayall a year or two after the third series, (continuity even claimed a fourth series would be made) and Vic Reeves had announced the BBC rejected a new series of Shooting Stars after news of it returning.

Odd that because I'd say (once again, some may argue) it is more suited today in this Little Britain age than ever before. Although maybe in its case, the 'ministry of silly humour' is over.

It was suggested on here early last year when Krypton Factor was repeated that it could return with Dermot Murnaghan as host. But I doubt that will happen anyway now.

As for Only Fools returning.. I remember there was rumour that The Green Green Grass was going to feature Del and Rodney as kids - how wrong that was. I agree it should have finished for good in 1996, it was the perfect ending really. John Sullivan's scripting on the last few in the early 2000s were still very funny but it had lost its relative appeal imo.