Legendary Channel 4 show to make comeback with lead star returning to the cast

SITCOM Drop the Dead Donkey is returning as a stage show.

The revival of the 1990s TV hit will feature its original cast, including Stephen Tompkinson as sensationalist reporter Damien Day.

Channel 4

Drop the Dead Donkey is returning as a stage show with Stephen Tompkinson[/caption]

It is a welcome boost for the DCI Banks actor, 57, as he rebuilds his career after being cleared of GBH earlier this month.

He said: “What excites me the most is being back with the cast — we’ve known each other for 30-odd years and this is a whole new adventure.”

The Channel 4 show, set in the fictional TV newsroom of GlobeLink News, ran from 1990 to 1998.

It helped make stars out of its cast including Neil Pearson, 64, who played a womanising sub-editor.

The stage version will feature the same characters all at sea in the world of artificial intelligence and 24-hour rolling news.

Co-creator Andy Hamilton said: “They, understandably, are going to find it hard to adapt.”

And like the TV show, the script for the stage version, which will tour the UK from January, will be tickled at the last minute to keep the jokes as topical as possible.