Birds Of A Feather is set to RETURN for a Christmas special but show won’t star Pauline Quirke as she has ‘given up acting’
Birds of a Feather is set to return for a Christmas special, but will not star Pauline Quirke as she has decided to ‘give up acting’.
Linda Robson confirmed the ITV sitcom will return for a festive special during Wednesday’s Loose Women, saying the episode was filmed over lockdown.
She also revealed her and Lesley Joseph’s co-star Pauline will not be back for the episode because she is giving up acting to concentrate on her 200-nationwide acting academies.
More to come: Birds Of A Feather is set to RETURN for a Christmas special but show won’t star Pauline Quirke as she has ‘given up acting’, Linda Robson (L) confirmed on Wednesday
Discussing the exciting news, Linda gushed: ‘Birds of a Feather is coming back for a Christmas special. We’re delighted.
‘They repeated the last few series during lockdown and it did really well in the ratings, and ITV asked us if we would come back.
‘We’ve finished filming the Christmas special. We finished yesterday. We were in lockdown in a bubble in a hotel in Hertfordshire. It’s so funny.’
Other ventures: Linda revealed her and Lesley Joseph’s co-star Pauline will not be back for the episode because she is giving up acting to concentrate on her acting academy
Of her co-star’s absence, Linda added: ‘Pauline couldn’t do it. She doesn’t want to do it this year.
‘She wants to give up acting and just wants to carry on with her acting academy. We really missed her, but it’s her choice.’
Linda – who plays Tracey Stubbs in the series – revealed Pauline’s character Sharon Theodopolopodous will be ‘stuck on a cruise ship in Costa Rica, because of the COVID’ in the festive episode’s storyline to explain the actress’ absence.
Les Dennis and Ami Metcalf will star in the episode, which will see Tracey and Dorien Green (Lesley) in lockdown amid the pandemic.
Linda added: ‘We are in lockdown during Covid. Me and Dorien are there. ‘Dorien now owns the house, so there is a lot of trouble there because she thinks I’m her skivvy.
‘Tracey has got OCD, a bit like Linda – we’re the same person. She [Dorien] has to stay over one side [of the house] and I [Tracey] have to stay over the other.’
Show: The special was filmed in lockdown, and Linda said of her co-star: ‘She doesn’t want to do it this year. She wants to give up acting and just wants to carry on with her acting academy’
Birds Of A Feather aired 128 episodes over the course of 12 seasons, which were released from 1989 to 1998, with the show getting a revival in 2014.
Show creators, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran said ‘We’re really excited to help bring Birds of a Feather back to ITV’s screens to give the nation some seasonal cheer in these peculiar times.’
Meanwhile, Lesley Joseph said: ‘I’m so excited to be putting Dorien’s high heels back on for a Christmas special of Birds.
‘It’s been 3 years since viewers last saw us and Dorien’s only gone and got herself a new man! We all need a laugh right now and I promise this special will deliver the festive goods!’
Classic: Birds Of A Feather aired 128 episodes over the course of 12 seasons, which were released from 1989 to 1998, with the show getting a revival in 2014