Acclaimed TV Comedy Birds Of A Feather to return?

[Pip Madeley]

BBC sitcom Birds Of A Feather could make a comeback, reports The Mirror.

Original cast members Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph have been asked to make another series by the team behind the classic sitcom.

Quirke, who played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the show, said they would be willing to return if the scripts were good.

"People remember Birds Of A Feather so fondly because it didn’t tail off at the end, the standard of the scripts didn’t deteriorate," said the actress. "We’d be keen to maintain that standard. None of us would want to make a new series that was below standard. I’d rather stay at home doing the housework."

Quirke is now waiting to see what stories the scriptwriters come up with. "How about three old girls in a nursing home, talking around a table? If we leave it much longer, it might come to that."

Joseph would be up for it, I'm sure.

[Si Hunt]

Oh God let this be true. I'd love to see what the old bag's up to.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

I'll give it a miss. I was never a great fan of the original series.

[Si Hunt]

Heathen!

Si.

[Simon R]

You could see it on BBC 1 on Christmas Day. If they get desperate for a comedy event this year!

Hopefully it'd kick start the long over due DVD releases.

[P-Bal]

Lesley can drag out the dress again, as she has done recently on both Cum Dine With Me and Gash In The Attic.

[Simon R]

Why don't we write in. Just write in.

[Rob McCow]

I can remember watching this, but I can't remember a single joke or storyline.

They brought back 'To The Manor Born', so why not 'Birds of A Feather?'

One day, there'll be a Fawlty Towers sequel too.

[Si Hunt]

I bet there isn't!

I remember the episode where Garth was caught naked in the jacuzzi. For some reason that one just sticks in my mind.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Sounds like a formative moment to me.

I remember one episode where they're sitting in the kitchen having a chat and the black haired woman comes in with some shopping. That's about it, really.

[Si Hunt]

It always seemed really exciting when the show was nearing its ten year anniversary because the original premise had been to lock up the girls husbands for ten years so the show could be about how they coped on their own. But if it got to ten years, the blokes would have to be released and the whole dynamic of the show would change! Ten years came around, the blokes were released, and an episode later they were banged up again.

Si.

[Paul Monk]

It was terrible!
However my mum and dad used to watch it so I probably ended up seeing far more episodes than I should have.
The things that stick in my head about the show were that they once filmed at Redhill Aerodrome and used it as a ferry terminal!
A student at uni, Ian I think his name was, who lived next door to us admitted to having a thing about Lesley Joseph and that he regularly shuffled his pork sword to photos of her.
And I was always amazed by how fast those two little girls could run in the end credit sequence.

[Si Hunt]

shuffled his pork sword

It certainly had one of the best theme tunes of a sitcom ever! Up there with "Sorry!" and "Hi De Hi" surely.

I remember the last season, which was horribly cheap and undignified. After the "glory days" there was an episode set almost entirely in their garage, so it seemed even then as if they were trying to starve it of money until it died rather then just end it with grace.

I think it was pretty good really. Linda Robson's acting was woeful and Quirke was always a bit annoying, but Joseph was a delight and the three personalities gelled really well together.

Si.

[Paul Monk]

Linda Robson has one of those mouths that is permanently miserable looking.

[Stephen Morgan]

A student at uni, Ian I think his name was, who lived next door to us admitted to having a thing about Lesley Joseph and that he regularly shuffled his pork sword to photos of her.

That made me snigger. But I bet it was really a chipolata.

[Lissa]

Quirke, who played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the show, said they would be willing to return if the scripts were good.

Isn't that like Paul McCartney saying he'd do a Beatles reunion tour if John agreed?

[Jon Masters]

I remember one episode where they're sitting in the kitchen having a chat and the black haired woman comes in with some shopping.

That's almost every episode, Steve. I'd hazard a guess someone made a comment about the black haired woman's tendency to shag anything too

[Simon R]

I liked the one where Leslie Joseph had a cat-fight with some girl who was porking her husband and said the immortal line "I'll pull your hair out by the roots!".

Funny the things you remember.

[Rob McCow]

I seem to remember the theme tune:

"You know we belong together,
Flocking like Birds of a Feather,
No Matter where you are,
You know you're my guiding star."

Ah, that takes me back!

[Si Hunt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKnhZS4TSsI

[Simon R]

It's a mystery of the ages that Dorien's "Like A Virgin" scene is not on youtube.

[Rob McCow]

I was surprised at how downbeat the Birds of A Feather theme tune was when we watched it on YouTube last night. Hardly puts you in the mood for a rip-roaring comedy, does it? Though I suppose Birds of A Feather is one of these bittersweet comedies.

[Si Hunt]

To be fair the version they use is a little more perky than the original. And it goes well with the old cini footage... but Quirke and Robson never smiled when they appeared at the end of the credits - I think as a comedy it was about surviving against the odds, although behind it all the two girls were always deep down unhappy - Tracey that Darryl wasn't coming home, Sharon at the prospect that Chris might! The point was, they never lived together because they wanted to, and the comedy arose due to the conflict this created.

Si.

[Mr BHT]

I was just thinking about this show this morning. One of the things I liked about it was it had the ability to move on, which a lot of comedies lack. The first series saw Sharon living it up in Tracey's house whilst Tracey slowly became more and more depressed, then over the years they found their independence, started businesses, had relationships and watched children grow up and relatives die. When their husbands were eventually released things had changed and Tracey was no longer in Daryl's shadow and Sharon had gone on to accept Chris for the tosser he was.

A DVD box set would be tempting, if they ever release one, although I think I could hang on till it was reduced to half-price!

[Simon R]

It's odd that series 1 came out on DVD in 2003 and no other series or even a compilation has followed. Presumably there's rights issues with music and things as the series 1 DVD had awful over dubbing of pop songs with cheapo cheapo stock music.