Will Mellor spoke at a Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps reunion, 13 years after the hit comedy came to an end.
The actor, who supports Virgin Media O2’s campaign to help end data poverty, revealed that he has been presented with a script for the reboot, titled Two pints last orders.
The show came to a natural end in 2011 and most of the original cast left the show in 2011, after Ralf Little left after series six and Sheridan Smith and Kathryn Drysdale left after series eight.
However, fans have been calling for the cast to bring the show back in recent years.
Speaking about a possible reboot, Will told MailOnline: ‘I have tried. I even received a script written by (creator) Susan Nixon. A draft of the first episode called Two Pints Last Orders.
‘It was going to be like a series finale. Where are they now? Johnny’s not dead. He’s been running from a loan shark or whatever.
Will Mellor addressed a Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps reunion, 13 years after the hit comedy came to an end, revealing he would be open to reprising his role.
Will Mellor played Gaz, Sheridan Smith was Janet, Natalie Casey was Donna, Ralf Little was Jonny and Kathryn Drysdale played Louise in the comedy Noughties.
Will continued: ‘But the BBC said no and BBC Three said no. They are repeating the old ones and they are getting the highest ratings on their channel, so you think “what are you doing?”
‘I said yes, I would. Ralph said yes. I would do it even if it were an hour-long Christmas special, just for the fans.
“It was a cult show that people supported. Without their support, the show wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did.”
“I’ve said before that we can pay for it ourselves and do it, but then you would have to release it as a download stream and then fans will have to pay to watch it and we are in a difficult financial crisis.
‘I can’t do that. I would feel bad making people pay to see something they support. We shouldn’t have to do that. It must be captured by a channel.
But as I say, my hands are a little tired. “We need a channel to do it.”
Will knows all too well how to live in a financial crisis, having grown up in a working-class family that sometimes struggled to make ends meet.
‘When we were children we had to hide if someone knocked on the door and we all thought it was a game.
“But I think we probably owed money to debt collectors. Money we didn’t have. But we were protected and loved. I had a great childhood.
‘That’s why I’m passionate about the new campaign I’m doing because I’ve been lucky enough in my life toAnd you can never forget where you come from. I’m very proud of it.’
Will has partnered with Virgin Media’s O2 campaign helping people in data poverty.
Will has also been campaigning to get justice for the hundreds of postmasters caught up in the Horizon IT system scandal (pictured in the ITV drama as deputy postmaster Lee Castleton with actress Amy Nuttall alongside him like Lisa, Lee’s wife).
Living in poverty and struggling to afford mobile data, there are some people across the country who are unable to connect to the Internet to complete everyday tasks and, more importantly, are unable to stay in touch with their loved ones during the festive period.
Speaking about the campaign, Will shared: ‘I wanted to get involved in it because it’s about putting people back into poverty.
“I think there are a lot of people who are struggling right now, especially this time of year. There is a financial crisis out there. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
“When this campaign came about, I didn’t really know much about data, data, data poverty and data obscurity and people not being able to afford data and I’m really glad that someone like Virgin Media is doing something about it because you forget. How much you need data in your life.
‘I was lucky and I was on television at 12. And the rest is what you say is history. I know how lucky I am, but that’s why these campaigns are so important.
“That when you get a profile you have to turn around and remember where you came from and go back and help.”
Will has also been campaigning to get justice for the hundreds of postmasters caught up in the Horizon IT scandal.
More than 700 Post Office employees were falsely prosecuted based on erroneous data from the company’s Horizon computer system, developed by Fujitsu.
Some of these people were sent to prison after being convicted of false accounting and theft, some had their finances left in tatters and some will never see justice as they have since died. It is considered the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history.
Will has partnered with Virgin Media’s O2 campaign helping people in data poverty. He knows all too well how to live in a financial crisis, having grown up struggling to make ends meet.
Will played Deputy Postmaster Lee Castleton in ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office earlier this year and later fronted a documentary about the scandal.
Reflecting on the impact of the drama, which saw the Horizon scandal back in the news and debated in parliament, Will shared: “None of us could have imagined how big it was going to be because it was unprecedented.
“It was something incredible for me as an actor. I had never played a real person before I realized they were going to see it. There is a pressure with that.
‘You want to get it right for them and make sure the emotion is right.
‘It’s okay to read about what happened to someone, but when you see it and feel it, you identify with it.
“It’s still in the news, but it hasn’t been done enough.: Just give them the money you stole from them. You stole their lives. Some of them died. Yes, order compensation but also hold people accountable.’
Will has teamed up with Virgin Media O2 to present the ‘Data Darkness’ art installation on London’s South Bank, created to raise awareness of data poverty in the UK.
The company has rolled out the National Data Bank in all O2 stores nationwide, where people who need it can get free O2 mobile data so they can connect and stay connected with loved ones this Christmas and beyond.
The public can visit Data Darkness from Tuesday 3 December to Thursday 5 December at London’s South Bank Observation Point.
Will has teamed up with Virgin Media O2 to present the ‘Data Darkness’ art installation on London’s South Bank, created to raise awareness of data poverty in the UK.