'Mister Ed' may talk his way back to TV

The horse may be dead but his spirit lives on. Mister Ed, the hit comedy from the early Sixties featuring a talking horse, could be making a return to the small screen. And this time Mister Ed might have a black, urban accent.

Producers at Fox Television have commissioned a pilot for a remake of the family-friendly series that beguiled viewers on both sides of the Atlantic with its tales of the horse that wanted to be a person.

Mister Ed was so enamoured with the idea of being a human that he tried to fly an aircraft and even meet celebrities. Clint Eastwood and Zsa Zsa Gabor were among those who made cameo appearances during the 143 episodes that ran between 1961 and 1966.

Jack Handley, a writer for the comedy show Saturday Night Live, will be bringing Mister Ed up to date. He has said in his version the horse will talk in the hip style of the actor Eddie Murphy.

"This one is so in Handley's strike zone," a senior Fox executive said. "He loves talking animals and we love the fact that he loves talking animals."