Rentaghost 'to make TV comeback'

Sue Nicholls (r) went on to play Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street

Classic children's shows Rentaghost and Worzel Gummidge could be returning to TV after rights to the programmes were obtained by a UK production company.

RDF, best known for making Channel 4 show Wife Swap, will develop, produce and distribute both shows.

Nigel Pickard, from RDF, said: "We feel there is real potential for these classic brands to be reworked for a modern day audience."

Rentaghost, starring Sue Nicholls, was broadcast on the BBC from 1975.

It ran for nine years, but since then it has been periodically shown on CBBC by BBC Worldwide.

The show, which was written by Bob Block, was about an employment agency staffed by ghosts.

Rentaghost was about an employment agency staffed by ghosts

Among the team of phantoms were the medieval court jester Timothy Claypole, Miss Popov, a sneezy ghost and a pantomime horse called Dobbin.

Worzel Gummidge began in 1936 as a series of children's books.

It was eventually adapted by ITV into a TV series from 1979 to 1981.

The show starred Dr Who actor Jon Pertwee as a scarecrow with interchangeable heads for thinking, dancing and working.

The series also featured actress Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally, a doll with bright, rouged cheeks and a tendency to move like a robot.