"SuperTed" Will Make A Comeback In 2016

The '80s cartoon is due to return to UK screens in two years' time, but don't expect a carbon copy of the original.

Remember SuperTed? It's coming back.

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SuperTed creator Mike Young tells the Radio Times that 26 half-hour episodes are planned, with broadcasters expected to get the chance to bid for the show this autumn.

The original cartoon – which featured the voice of John Pertwee – ran from 1983 to 1985, but was repeated endlessly on UK kids' TV throughout the 1980s.

When it returns in 2016 it will have some significant differences, says Young: "In SuperTed, we had a gun-slinging cowboy, a flamboyantly gay skeleton, and a fat guy who had jokes made about his weight.

"And all these things you just wouldn’t do today. But you can still write the show in a funny, entertaining way."

It won't, however, be too "slick", he says. "I won’t mention any names but many of the stop-frame series have been remade in the UK with less than fantastic results. They sometimes lose the charm of the original production."

You may recall that SuperTed was turned into a magical bear by Spotty Man, and given his powers by Mother Nature. It all made a lot more sense at the time.

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It's slightly more low-key than another rebooted 1980s kids' TV franchise, Bananaman, which is being turned into a full-length, live-action feature film next year.