Footballers’ Wives is set to return – as a musical.
The show’s original co-creator, Maureen Chadwick, is planning to revive the drama, which followed the fictional lives and loves of professional football players, by bringing it to the stage with a whole new cast next year, according to RadioTimes.com.
With added music and lyrics written by Kath Gotts, the show is expected to follow the first series in which Tanya Turner – originally played by Zöe Lucker – struggled to save her marriage to footballer Jason Turner (Cristian Solimeno), amidst groupies, meddling club chairmen, deception, betrayal and murder.
However, Zöe is cautious about any kind of return for the series.
She said: “The thing that would worry me was if there was to be a reprise, what if it wasn’t as good?
“I always panic about that. The fact that people still talk about it the way they do, I would hate for any of us to go back and for any of us to be disappointed and it would be such a shame.
“The original writers were so good. They were such intelligent, creative women and I’m pretty sure if a script was to come forward it would be as exciting as an original series, but you just don’t know and I would hate to disappoint.”
Gosh – so it’s going to be almost two years to the day from our first BEAM pitching session @stratfordeast for inclusion in #BEAM2018 and our first “writers’ workshop” for #FootballersWives @FWMusical. We had one song ready back then – now there are 23 numbers to prepare!
— Kath Gotts (@BroadKG) October 21, 2019
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The show originally aired on ITV from January 2002 until April 2006 before being axed.
Former Footballers’ Wives producer Liz Lake has also admitted she would “return in a heartbeat” if the show was recommissioned.
She said: “If there’s an appetite for it, and enough people want it, it would be worth having that conversation.
Footballers Wives the Musical. I am obsessed with this idea!!! ❤️👍🏼#footballerswives #newmusical https://t.co/FK4ydtoYEW
— Alice Fearn (@alice_fearn) October 21, 2019
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“Whatever job I do, I get people telling me they loved Footballers’ Wives. It was an escape and a bit of refreshing camp, but it was still really bold storytelling.
“I think we’d prefer to have an update than a reboot, a revival moving it forward. It’s more than just nostalgia, it’s about seeing what life is like now. Don’t think I haven’t thought about it – I’ve had various moments
where I’ve thought, ‘Gosh, wouldn’t it be good to do a special tie-in with the World Cup or something?’ ”
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