Here's some great news for kids – and even better news for parents: Eighties children's cartoon classic Danger Mouse is set for a telly comeback.
Although the rodent super-spy and his sidekick Penfold were retired from the secret service more than 20 years ago, a repeat showing recently drew a record kids' audience to ITV. And now the channel's editors want to give them a new lease of life.
Danger Mouse was famously voiced by Delboy David Jason and 'Terry and June's Terry Scott performed Penfold for 11 years until 1992.
An old episode was recently rebroadcast as part of a celebration of 30 years of CITV but attracted the highest CITV audience since it was launched in 2006. They scored an audience of 569,000 viewers – the channel's highest ever figure, according to the Radio Times.
In a deliberate spoof of James Bond, Danger Mouse was fluent in 34 languages including some alien ones and an expert in the martial art Kung Moggy. His villain was the diabolical Baron Silas Greenback who was constantly foiled by his rodent nemesis.
Production company FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment boss Sander Schwartz told industry journal Broadcast a revival was on the cards.
"It's something we might be looking to do in the not so distant future," he said.
"Nothing did better than Danger Mouse (in the CITV weekend)." The cartoon cemented its cult status in 1983, when it achieved viewing figures topping 21 million.
Hurrah! Love Danger Mouse.
More on Parentdish: The 15 most irritating kids' TV characters