Bring back...?

Finally the UK can see The Muppets movie in the cinema. It feels like, and probably has been, promotion for the film has been going on for about six months. This is because not only do they want to make a lot of money out of the film, but they want to bring The Muppets back. Everyone must know who The Muppets are now, no matter how old or where you come from.

So this made me think about what shows I would like to be brought back.

My first television revival would be Mongrels. Yes, it was only on the television just before Christmas but that is the last we will see of it. BBC Three cancelled the show because it wasn't getting enough viewers, and the BBC is axing anything they can at the moment. This has genuinely annoyed me - I have even deleted BBC Three from the television.

The show is also puppet based, but it is for adults. It followed the lives of a fox, a cat, a dog and a pigeon all living behind a pub. There are jokes about the usual adult things; sex, violence and obscure references. Half the time I was amazed that the show was even on the BBC, but exceptionally grateful.

Much like The Muppets, Mongrels have a musical number each week. It produced such classics as Middleclass is Magical, Die Evil Zombies and Breaking Up is Such a Faff.

Essentially I miss it and I want a series three.

Next up I would like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer back on the small screen. It does continue as a comic book, and it is down properly with Joss Whedon in charge of it, but it is not the same.

They do get to do story lines that could never be done on the telly well - for example one character, called Dawn, suddenly became a giant overnight. It is still confronting hard hitting issues too. Buffy isn't coping with being an adult (still) and became pregnant from a one night stand. Whedon has decided that the character is going to have an abortion. A bold choice, and if it was on the television it would have become watered down and less meaningful.

It also helps that seeing as most of the characters in the Buffy universe are immortal or don't age. So drawing your main characters means that you can make them look however you want. Whereas actors have an annoying habit of ageing.

And my final choice is decent Saturday morning children's television.

When I was growing up we had Live & Kicking and SM:TV, just to mention a few. They were daft and funny and now all we have is bland cookery programmes. Now I know that I am 22, so technically should not have an interest in kid's TV, but I would appreciate if early morning weekend television had something creative on. Rather than just the usual dross that you can film easily and make cheaply.

Photo: Disney