As the crisis in television comedy deepens, one leading screenwriter has turned to Dickens for inspiration - and delivered an embarrassing snub to the BBC in the process.
The creator of Only Fools and Horses, one of the most successful comedies in British television history, is to recreate the David Copperfield character, Mr Micawber, for ITV. And the star of the classic BBC series, David Jason, has been cast in the lead role. BBC bosses are said to be furious.
John Sullivan, the writer of the new series, had originally been commissioned by the BBC to adapt the Dickens novel, but stormed out after a row. He took his idea to base a new programme around Mr Micawber to Yorkshire Television, which has agreed to produce the £4m project.
David Reynolds, the controller of comedy drama at Yorkshire, said at the Rose d'Or television festival in Montreux yesterday that he was delighted to have secured Sullivan and Jason. "This is a big deal for us," he said.
ITV bosses hope the new show will be a hit on the same scale as Jason's previous successes in the risky "comedy drama" genre, The Darling Buds of May and A Bit of a Do. Both won critical acclaim and high ratings.
Jason would be perfect for the role of Mr Micawber, said Mr Reynolds. "There is no doubt that he will make it totally his own in the same way that he became Pop Larkin, Del Boy and Jack Frost."
Recently, writers have found it harder to hit upon a winning formula. The BBC launched a clutch of new comedies last year, but with only limited success.
ITV's latest comedy drama, Bob Martin, in which Michael Barrymore parodies himself as a neurotic game show host of ambiguous sexuality, is suffering plunging ratings. Yet the programme has won plaudits from a number of critics - the Spectator magazine heaped intellectual praise upon it - and ITV is determined that it can be turned around. Production of a second series is already under way.
Executives hope that the partnership of Jason and Sullivan will make Micawber a sure hit. The character of Mr Micawber is a complex figure, whose attempts to portray himself as an educated man of riches inevitably end in comic disaster. The series will draw on the Dickens character, but will have new storylines.
Jason said of his new role: "I very much hope I can make him a household name. He's a loveable rogue with a heart of gold."
He said he was looking forward to reviving his successful partnership with Sullivan. "It will be terrific to work with the same team again and I sincerely hope some of the old magic will return."
Initially, the series will be in four parts. Since axing News at Ten last year, ITV has had only mixed success in fulfilling its promise to fill the peak time television schedule with quality, popular programmes. The John Thaw vehicle, Monsignor Renard, was a hit with viewers, but the programme-maker, Carlton, says it was too expensive to make and is not planning to film any more episodes.
ITV is determined to demonstrate its commitment to making the new evening schedule a success; later this month, the Independent Television Commission will decide whether it can force the channel to bring back News at Ten. Last week it ordered ITV to stem the decline in viewers for the channel's news bulletins.
Scheduling popular shows in the run up to the news bulletin at 11pm is one way of ratcheting up the ratings, although Micawber may be screened on Sunday nights.
"Wherever we put it you can't really go wrong with David Jason," said one ITV source.
