Will Mellor has addressed a reunion of Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, 13 years after the hit sitcom ended.
The actor – who is supporting Virgin Media O2’s campaign to end data poverty – revealed he has been given a script for the reboot, titled Two pints of last orders.
The show came to a natural end in 2011, with most of the original cast having left the show by 2011, after Ralf Little left after series six and Sheridan Smith and Kathryn Drysdale left after the eighth series.
Still, in recent years, fans have been calling on the cast to bring the show back.
Speaking about a possible reboot, Will told MailOnline: ‘I tried it. I even got a script from [creator] Susan Nixon. A concept for the first episode called Two Pints Last Orders.
‘It would be a kind of last series. Where are they now? Johnny’s not dead he’s running from a loan shark or something.’
Will Mellor has addressed a reunion of Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, 13 years after the hit sitcom ended, and revealed he would be ready to reprise his role
Will Mellor played Gaz, Sheridan Smith was Janet, Natalie Casey was Donna, Ralf Little was Jonny and Kathryn Drysdale played Louise in the 1990s sitcom
Will continued: “But BBC said no and BBC three said no. They’re repeating the old ones and getting the highest ratings on their channel, so you’re like, “What are you doing?”
‘I said yes, I would do it. Ralph said yes. He would do it even if it was an hour long Christmas special just for the fans.
‘It was a cult show that people supported. Without their support the show wouldn’t have lasted so long.
“I’ve said before that we can pay for it and do it ourselves, but then you have to release it as a download stream and then the fans have to pay to watch it and we are in a financial crisis.
‘I can’t do that. I think it would be wrong to charge people to watch something they support. We shouldn’t do that. It has to be picked up by a channel.
‘But like I said, my hands are a little tired. We need a channel to record it.”
Will knows all too well how to live in a financial crisis, having grown up in a working-class family that sometimes struggled to make ends meet.
‘As children we had to hide when there was a knock on the door and we all thought it was a game.
“But I think we probably owed money collection agencies. Money we didn’t have. But we were protected from it and loved. I had a wonderful childhood.
“That’s why I’m passionate about the new campaign I’m doing, because I’ve been lucky in my lifeand you can never forget where you came from. I’m so proud of it.’
Will is working with Virgin Media O2’s campaign helping people with data poverty.
Will has also campaigned to get justice for the hundreds of postmasters embroiled in the Horizon IT systems scandal (portrayed in the ITV drama as sub-postmaster Lee Castleton with actress Amy Nuttall alongside him as Lee’s wife Lisa)
Living in poverty and struggling to afford mobile data, there are people across the country who cannot get online to complete daily tasks and, crucially, keep in touch with their loved ones over the holidays.
Speaking about the campaign, Will said: ‘I wanted to get involved because it’s about people living in poverty again.
“I think there are a lot of people who are struggling at the moment, especially at this time of year. There is a financial crisis out there. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
‘When this campaign came along I didn’t really know much about data, data, poverty and data darkness and people not being able to afford data and I’m so glad someone like Virgin Media is doing something about it because you forget how much you need data has in your life.
“I was lucky and I was on TV at 12, and the rest is what you say is history. I know how lucky I am, but that’s why these campaigns are so important.
“That when you get profiled, you have to turn around and remember where you came from and, and, reach back and help.”
Will has also campaigned to get justice for the hundreds of postmasters involved in the Horizon IT systems scandal.
More than 700 Post Office employees were falsely prosecuted based on faulty data from the company’s Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu.
Some of these people were sent to prison after being convicted of false accounting and theft, some had their finances in tatters, and some will never see justice because they have since died. It is considered the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history.
Will is working with Virgin Media O2’s campaign helping people with data poverty. He knows all too well what it’s like to live in a financial crisis, having grown up struggling to make ends meet
Will played sub-postmaster Lee Castleton in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office earlier this year and fronted a documentary about the scandal.
Reflecting on the impact of the drama – which saw the Horizon scandal once again hit the headlines and debated in parliament – Will said: ‘None of us could have imagined how big it would become because it was unprecedented.
‘It was a great thing for me as an actor to do – I’ve never played a real person before realizing they were going to watch it. there is pressure.
‘You want to do well for them and you want to make sure the emotion is right.
‘It’s okay to read about what happened to someone, but when you see and feel it, you recognize yourself in it.
‘It’s still in the news, but not enough has been done.: Just give them the money you stole from them. You stole their lives. Some of them died. Yes, provide compensation, but also hold people accountable.’
Will has collaborated with Virgin Media O2 to unveil the ‘Data Darkness’ art installation on London’s South Bank, created to raise awareness of data poverty in Britain.
The company has rolled out the National Database to all O2 stores nationwide, where people in need can get free O2 mobile data to help them get online and stay connected to loved ones this Christmas and beyond.
The public can visit Data Darkness from Tuesday December 3 to Thursday December 5 at South Bank Observation Point in London.
Will partners with Virgin Media O2 to unveil ‘Data Darkness’ art installation on London’s South Bank, created to raise awareness of data poverty in Britain