The popular BBC crime drama Dalziel and Pascoe is set to be rebooted by ITV, 19 years after going off air – but will reportedly be gender-flipped in the process.
The original series, which ran from 1996 to 2007 on BBC One, starred Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan as two temperamentally opposite police detectives solving crimes in a fictional Yorkshire town.
According to a new report, the central “odd couple” of investigators will be women this time around. A source told The Sun that the series might “discard” the canon of the original series altogether.
The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.
When the reboot was first announced, creators stated that the new show was being “reimagined” for a “contemporary audience”.
Jonathan Fisher, managing director of West Road Pictures production company, said: “It is a real honour to be reimagining Reginald Hill’s iconic detective series for a contemporary audience. We hope that viewers will fall in love with this unlikely yet brilliant pairing all over again.”
In a statement, ITV commissioner and head of scripted comedy Nana Hughes also said last month: “It’s a genuine privilege to bring Reginald Hill’s much-loved Dalziel and Pascoe back to the screen for a new audience.
“At the heart of this series is the enduring, unexpected chemistry between two very different detectives, and we’re excited to explore that new dynamic.”
The new series will comprise six episodes, directed by Isher Sahota and produced by Happy Valley’s Juliet Charlesworth.
A cast for the new series is yet to be announced, though production is confirmed to begin this spring.
Dalziel and Pascoe is adapted from a 24-book novel series by crime writer Reginald Hill.
In the original series, DI Andy Dalziel (Clarke) is a streetwise, politically incorrect police veteran, while Peter Pascoe (Buchanan) is his erudite, rule-following partner.
The BBC’s version of Dalziel and Pascoe is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
If reports about the new female-led reboot prove correct, Dalziel and Pascoe would be the latest in a line of revived TV shows return with the gender of its leading characters changed.
US sci-fi series Battlestar Gallactica is one of the most prominent examples, with the lead role of ace pilot Lieutenant Starbuck being played by Katee Sackhoff in the 2000s reboot.
In film, franchises such as Ghostbusters and Ocean’s Eleven have been rebooted with all-female leads.
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