Ever wondered what happened to accidental time traveller Gary Sparrow in BBC comedy Goodnight Sweetheart? Well the Beeb is bringing the iconic sitcom back for a one-off special, starring Nicholas Lyndhurst
The BBC announced Nicholas Lyndhurst (Only Fools and Horses, New Tricks) is set to return as TV repairman Gary Sparrow in a new episode of Goodnight Sweetheart!
In the original series, after finding a time portal Gary Sparrow began living a double life, dividing his time between 1990s London and the city during World War Two. The show was a big hit for the BBC when it began in 1993, running for six series until 1999.
Not only did Gary have a 1990s wife, Yvonne Sparrow (played by Michelle Holmes until 1996 and Emma Amos until 1999), he also started a romance with Phoebe Bamford (played by Dervla Kirwan until 1993 and Elizabeth Carling until 1999) in his 1940s life.
When the series drew to a close in 1999 Gary found himself permanently trapped in the past!
Now the popular sitcom is to return for a one-off special as part of the BBC’s landmark sitcom season this autumn, when Are You Being Served? and Porridge will also be revisited.
Speaking about Gary Sparrow’s return to our screens, Goodnight Sweetheart’s creators Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran said: “Gary has been trying for the last 17 years to find a way back to the present. Now he’s found one, and he’s asked us to turn it into a TV show, featuring much-loved old Goodnight Sweetheart friends and one or two new ones!”
How will Gary return? Which of Nicholas Lyndhurst’s original co-stars will be joining him for a reunion? And what will Gary Sparrow make of modern, flat screen televisions?
Only time will tell...
The landmark sitcom season celebrating BBC comedy over the past 60 years will also host a prequel to Keeping Up Appearances called Young Hyacinth. Kerry Howard (Him & Her) is playing iconic comedy character Hyacinth Bucket, made famous by Patricia Routledge when the series ran from 1990 to 1995.
