Producers are working with Men Behaving Badly writer SImon Nye to create a UK version of the American classic, set in the present day
The writer of Men Behaving Badly is to pen a modern day version of Cheers - 30 years after last orders was called on the classic US sitcom.
Set in a British pub rather than a Boston bar, Simon Nye - who also wrote ITV's The Durrells - is hoping the reboot will get picked up for UK viewers. One contender for the role of bar manager Sam, played in the original by Ted Danson, is Horrible Histories star Tom Stourton.
Producers are hoping to attract a line-up of big name comedy stars with those on the wishlist including Charlotte Ritchie, Lenny Henry, Sarah Parish and James Norton. The new Cheers is being developed by production company Big Talk, which has a long track record in comedy with hits including Spaced, Black Books, Rev, The Outlaws and Friday Night Dinner plus new series Ludwig, starring David Mitchell.
Boss Kenton Allen said it was a "huge honour" to be entrusted with the comedy by CBS Studios, telling Deadline (MUST) it would be a "huge challenge" to get it right. "The British pub is an endangered species, so there's an answer for the 'Why now?' about it," he explained.
"The attitudes of Cheers in the 80s are very different to the attitudes of today, so there's a massive amount of work to be done around taking inspiration from the original characters but creating something fresh." He added: "Premium producers, which have been around for a while and are trusted, are in a good place to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there."
One insider told The Mirror: "Behind the scenes producers are putting together a hit list of some of the UK\s greatest comedy talent. They're aiming for the creme de la creme of the comedy world. Cheers is still regarded as a comedy great after all these years - it made the careers of so many actors who became household names."
When it first launched in 1982 Cheers struggled in the ratings and was almost cancelled before eventually rising to become one of the most popular TV shows of all time. The finale, which aired in 1993, became the most-watched single episode of the 90s with more than 90million viewers in the US tuning in.
Cheers, which had the theme-tune Where Everybody Knows Your Name by Gary Portnoy, ran for 11 seasons on NBC, totalling 275 episodes. Danson's character, Sam Malone, was the head bartender - a womaniser and recovering alcoholic who had previously been a baseball player.
He was flanked by waitresses Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) and Carla Tortelli (Rhea Pearlman) while the regulars included Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley).
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