One of Channel 4’s most beloved comedy shows is set to gallop back onto screens after more than two decades. Sally Phillips, an original star of Smack the Pony, has revealed that the team has been offered a television special, with work already underway on brand-new sketches.
Return After 20 Years
The cult sketch show, which launched in 1999, became a defining comedy of the era thanks to the surreal humor and sharp satire of Phillips, Fiona Allen, and Doon Mackichan. Now, after years of fans hoping for a revival, the trio are finally getting another chance.
Appearing on the Sunday Brunch Picky Bits podcast, Phillips confirmed the long-awaited return. “We’ve been offered a special, so we’ll do a special,” she said. The project follows the cast’s reunion at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they revisited the show in a chat show format.
Edinburgh Reunion Success
Phillips admitted she was stunned by the response. “It went well actually. People came and liked it,” she said. “It was amazing that these sketches that I’d done at 27, people knew the lines to now. It was really touching.”
While fans can expect plenty of fresh material, the revival will also reunite many of the creative minds behind the original. “There was a writers’ room of about six people but anyone could submit and then we re-worked them and improvised them,” Phillips explained.
Previous Revival Attempts
For longtime viewers, the news feels especially satisfying after the show’s creators spent years trying to bring it back. In 2019, Mackichan revealed the trio had already written new sketches and pitched a revival to broadcasters, only to be repeatedly turned down.
Speaking at the time, she admitted she feared the cast’s age had become a stumbling block. “It’s just been really difficult,” she told The i newspaper. “We’ve pitched to a few places and it’s not happening. I don’t know whether it’s older women but it’s not happening, which is, to me, astonishing.” She added: “You think, how funny does it have to be?”
Attitudes Have Changed
Fortunately for fans, attitudes appear to have changed. While no transmission date has yet been announced, Phillips’ comments suggest the special is no longer just wishful thinking but an active project, marking the first new Smack the Pony material since the series ended in 2003.
For a generation of comedy fans who can still quote its most memorable sketches line for line, that’s likely to be very welcome news indeed.
