Ben Elton to revive Friday Night Live for one-off special with Harry Enfield and Jo Brand

Live comedy series aired from 1985 to 1988

Ben Elton is bringing back Friday Night Live for a one-off special.

Airing from 1985 to 1988, the Channel 4 series – originally called Saturday Live – was known for catapulting comedians such as Harry Enfield, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to stardom.

Jo Brand’s first ever TV appearance came on the show, which featured a mix of stand-up comedy and topical sketches. Episodes were broadcast live, but featured a small amount of pre-recorded material as well.

On Thursday 6 October, Channel 4 announced that the show would be returning in October for a special episode as part of the channel’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

Elton will be back at the helm, along with former cast members Enfield, Brand and Julian Clary.

They will be joined by comics including Rosie Jones, Mawaan Rizwan, Jordan Gray, Ronni Ancona and Sam Campbell. Self Esteem will also perform.

Friday Night Live originally aired on a Saturday, but moved to the Friday spot in 1988.

The show was brought back for a Red Nose Day special in 1993 and a one-off episode in 2007 hosted by Marcus Brigstocke titled Saturday Live Again.

An eight-episode series also ran on ITV in 1996 as Saturday Live presented by Lee Hurst.

Friday Night Live airs Friday 21 October at 9pm on Channel 4.