Family Guy to return to BBC2 starting with Simpsons crossover episode

New episodes will have their UK premieres exclusively on ITV2 from autumn

Peter Griffin holds forth in The Simpsons Family Guy crossover episode (Fox)

Family Guy is making a comeback on BBC2 for the first time since 2007, with the 13th season of the hit comedy set to air later this year.

Peter Griffin and co’s return to the channel will kick off with The Simpsons crossover episode The Simpsons Guy, which premiered last September and saw Homer and Marge host the family in Springfield.

Family Guy first launched on BBC2 in 2005 before heading over to BBC3, which will soon become an online-only channel.

However, it is worth noting that new episodes from the Emmy-winning Fox series will premiere in the UK exclusively on ITV2 from this autumn, starting with its 15th run.

“We are incredibly proud that the BBC has successfully aired Family Guy for the past nine years and built the series into such a hit in the UK,” a BBC statement read last month.

“However, when a show becomes so successful it often becomes a target for other broadcasters. We are sorry that it will not have a long-term home on the BBC.”

Creator Seth MacFarlane’s other comedies The Cleveland Show, American Dad and Bordertown are also included in ITV2’s ‘multi-year’ deal.