CLASSIC sitcom Birds Of A Feather is returning to TV after 15 years — with all three of its original stars.
But the 1990s show, which for nine years pulled in audiences of more than 20million for the BBC, will make its comeback on rival ITV.
Actresses Pauline Quirke, 53, and Linda Robson, 55, will start filming eight new episodes in September with co-star Lesley Joseph.
The show’s creators Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran originally approached the BBC — which axed the comedy in 1998 — with the idea of reviving it.
But Beeb bosses only wanted to make a Christmas special.
ITV saw its chance to stage a coup and waded in, offering to make a whole series. That clinched the deal.
An ITV insider said: “The idea has been kicking around for a while and all the cast were up for it. Top brass heard that the writers had only been offered a one-off special at the BBC, so they decided to strike.
“The scripts are great and still crackling with the kind of gags that made it such a big success all those years ago.
“It’s all very hush-hush right now but ITV are delighted that they’ve managed to land it.”
The show ran on the BBC for 102 episodes. It centres on two sisters — hard-up Sharon and well-off Tracey (Quirke and Robson) — who set up home with each other after their husbands are both jailed for armed robbery.
Actress Lesley plays their man-eating neighbour Dorien Green.
The three stars reunited last year for a successful stage version of the show, sparking interest from telly producers.
Lesley, 67, said recently: “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.
“None of us would want to make a new series that was below standard.”
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