Iconic North-West sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is all set for a comeback, the show’s creator has confirmed.
Susan Nickson – who penned the original BBC comedy series – revealed that she is planning to reboot the show after more than a decade off screens.
Two of the series’ main stars – Will Mellor and Ralf Little – are apparently on board for the new series, with discussions currently being held with the BBC.
Susan Nickson told the Drama School Dropout podcast: “We are talking to the BBC.
Two Pints original cast // BBC
“They are a corporation and in a corporation there are many cogs and those cogs move extremely slowly.
ADVERTISEMENT
“So basically what you’ve got, it’s me, Will, Ralf and all three of us are just going, ‘Yeah, we’re here, we’ll do it,’ and the BBC are going, ‘Ah brilliant, yeah let’s do it,’ and I’m sort of sat here going, ‘Ok, when?’ and they go, ‘Well, we don’t know.’”
Two Pints, which ran for nine series from 2001 until 2011, had Little, Mellor, Natalie Casey, Sheridan Smith and Kathryn Drysdale in its original lineup, with Luke Gell also becoming a main cast member in 2008.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nickson said she was unsure whether Sheridan, Casey, Drysdale or Gell would return just yet, but did confirm that the reboot of Two Pints may include themes such as toxic masculinity.
“I would like to pick up the story with two ageing working-class geezers in a pub combating the terrible things that we say about men at the moment,” Nickson stated.
“Some men might not understand that the bad guys exist. I want to see the comforting story of people like Gaz and Jonny, who live in a world where bad guys don’t exist.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I want them to acknowledge the bad guys are out there though, but I don’t want Gaz and Jonny to be them.”
All 80 episodes of Two Pints are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
TV & Showbiz
Johnny Marr denies Morrissey’s claims about obtaining ‘100%’ of The Smiths trademark
Danny Jones
Johnny Marr has come out to deny the claims made by former bandmate Morrissey that he now controls “100%” of the rights to The Smiths trademark and intellectual property.
In case you missed it, earlier this week Morrissey came out with a statement detailing how Marr had recently obtained “100% trademark rights/intellectual property” and can now tour without him.
Fans were already enjoying drumming up suggestions for singers who could take the iconic frontman’s place on stage but don’t get too carried away, as the former lead guitarist has already come out to refute the allegations.
As per a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, Marr not only rubbishes the rumours that any temporary singer or plans to tour are on the cards but explains that ownership of The Smiths right is still shared with Morrissey – he just simply hasn’t signed a document yet.
A spokesperson for Marr writes: “In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use the Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting the Smiths’ name.
“A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself. It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey and Marr.
As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.”
Responding personally via his representation, the 60-year-old added: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.”
He also cleared up more claims made by Morrissey, who said the pair had both been met with a potential and ‘lucrative’ deal to tour together as The Smiths once again, to which Marr has now clarified: “I didn’t ignore the offer; I said no.” At the risk of pointing out the obvious by the way…
hate to break it to Morrissey but Marr has been doing this for years already https://t.co/FL6cGGTZO4
So no, while it might have been registered by Marr and his team, he doesn’t own all of the rights to The Smiths; in actuality, it looks as though the Manchester music legend took steps to make sure that both he and Morrissey maintained shared ownership.
Presuming this response clears up all the speculation surrounding the trademark, the 65-year-old could seemingly have avoided all of this by simply giving his signature and completing the document.
Put it this way, if you were somehow holding out hope for an Oasis AND a Smiths reunion, we wouldn’t hold our breaths…
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City is looking for some diehard fans to be part of a new documentary series by sharing their love for the club.
The Sky Blues are no stranger to a documentary, having had several successful series and feature-length shows air on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the club’s own online TV platform CITY+, over the past couple of years – drawing in millions of viewers across the globe each time.
But now, it sounds like there’s another one in the works… and you could be a part of it.
The football club is looking for families with four generations of supporters to share their special memories of following Manchester City down the years.
📣 We’re looking for diehard fans to share their special City memories for an exciting new documentary series!
On top of this, the club is also keen to find fan videos that can help take documentary viewers into the stands from a City fan’s perspective, and is asking that people get in touch and send footage that they’ve taken of some of the club’s most famous moments from over the years – including reactions to Sergio Aguero’s famous goal against QPR in 2012, and the Treble-winning season.
Footage could also be submitted from other important milestones such as the 1999 play off final, or from things like random away days in the 1980s, or even City-themed kids’ birthday parties from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
No matter whether the footage was taken on a mobile phone, old-school video camera, or something similar, it could come in useful.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series / Credit: Manchester City
The only condition is that all footage submitted by fans must be their own, and not recordings from commercial media, or copied from YouTube or any other media/social media outlets.
Keen to be a part of the production then?
If you would like you and your family to be considered for the documentary, then you can email [email protected] with your details and stories about supporting City.
The Manc -
19th July 2021 
