Michael Barrymore returning to TV 15 years after being being axed
Michael Barrymore is returning to UK TV screens 15 years after he was axed by ITV.
The comedian and TV host will be appearing in a new sitcom series.
News of his return to showbiz emerged after TV production company, Antenna, shared a picture of him on set for the new show.
He’ll be starring opposite Game Of Thrones actor Tom Brooke in the comedy.
Pressed for details about the new series, Barrymore told his Twitter followers: “new sit com (sic)”.
He added: “The production company filming it put that picture on of us on set. I can’t say, just yet. Still a lot to film. If you liked Bob Martin, this one will be right up your street”
Barrymore was last seen on TV in 2014 in a celebrity special of The Jeremy Kyle Show, where he opened up about struggling with drugs and his mental health.
The gay former game show host and comedian said: “I’ve been taken off to the hospital a couple of times”, referring to his suicide attempts.
The star said his use of alcohol and drugs stemmed from keeping his sexual orientation hidden while married to his wife.
“I don’t think it noticed too much at the beginning because we both drank, obviously I drank more,” he said.
“I think we maybe drank the same sometimes but she controlled it better.
“I was her husband, her lover, her child and her career all wrapped up into one, 24/7 and that’s a lot of pressure on both and I don’t knock it because I think she was a major part of my success.
“I loved her to death despite what people write or have written in the past about what our relationship was about.”
He added: “If I hadn’t (come out) I truly believe I would have died, because I believe that my drinking and my (drug) using was getting worse because of it.”
