There seems to be a question mark over whether The Brittas Empire is going to return to the BBC.

The sitcom, starring Chris Barrie as hapless leisure centre boss Gordon Brittas ran from 1991 to 1997. Last year Barrie said that a new script had been commissioned by the BBC and he was waiting to see it.

But in a recent blog post however, he suggested that things were now less certain: “things have gone very quiet indeed – in fact totally silent. I believe a script was being developed with a view to recording a special or pilot at some stage. So if you are a journalist, don’t bother emailing me about an interview as I would prefer to wait until there is something concrete to talk about and that doesn’t look likely at the moment”.

He went on to talk about his feelings about political correctness in modern comedy and wondered if this would have an impact on a revived Brittas: “I would very much look forward to returning as Gordon Brittas but given that he is probably one of the most insensitive people on earth, I am intrigued to see how he would fit into Twenty First Century Britain. Would he be allowed to say that overweight people should do something about their “thick, unattractive ankles”? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if even this were to make the modern TV executive a tad nervous. As for Carol keeping babies in cupboards…..”

Barrie has recently finished filming Red Dwarf XI and is about to start work on the twelfth series of the hit sci-fi sitcom for the Dave Channel.