Get set for the antiques rogue show as Lovejoy makes a comeback

HE was the roguish antiques dealer who lit up the small screen with his swashbuckling adventures in the eighties and nineties.

Ian McShane as LovejoyEXPRESS NEWSPAPERS

Ian McShane was the first actor to play the role of Lovejoy

Now it has been revealed that the hit television series Lovejoy could be making a comeback.

One of the UK’s leading television writers is developing a script featuring Lovejoy, who was first played by Ian McShane in the series that ran from 1986 to 1994.

Tony Jordan, the man behind BBC1 hits including Hustle and Life on Mars and EastEnders, is using the original Lovejoy novels by Jonathan Gash as his source material.

It’s almost my favourite job ever

Phyllis Logan

And with 24 books in total, that could mean a potentially long-running series should it take off, RadioTimes.com reports.

The original Lovejoy ran for six series on BBC1, with the comedy-drama following the lovable East Anglian antiques dealer played by Ian McShane.

But it is not known if the actor, now 72, will reprise the role.

The Blackburn-born star has since gone on to carve a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in blockbuster movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Hercules.

He is also well-known in the States for his role on HBO drama series Deadwood, for which he won a Golden Globe award.

He lives in Los Angeles with his third wife, American actress Gwen Humble, 61.

The new Lovejoy project is “very early days” according Jordan’s company Red Planet Pictures.

In a 2013 interview with Radio Times, McShane said he was unlikely ever to return to the role that made him a household name but suggested any prospective remake could go in a different direction. 

“If you’re serious about it, why not make it about Lovejoy’s daughter this time?” he said.

The original Lovejoy also starred Phyllis Logan as McShane’s aristocratic love interest Lady Jane, Dudley Sutton as Lovejoy’s sidekick Tinker and Chris Jury as his hapless assistant Eric Catchpole.

McShane’s former co-star Logan has been more enthusiastic about the prospect of revisiting her role. 

The Downton Abbey actress, 59, said she would return to the show “in a heartbeat”, adding, “I loved it. 

“It’s almost my favourite job ever.”

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