Only Fools and Horses tipped to return with new episode

Comedy favourite Only Fools and Horses could be set to make a small screen comeback in 2014 - thanks to the children of its late creator John Sullivan.

According to the Times, the writer's sons Jim and Dan have turned one of his ideas for the show into script form, and if all goes according to plan it could be filmed and shown as early as next spring.

However its star David Jason told the paper that although he had a copy of the script he had not yet looked at it.

"I've had a quick look at the treatment and it's very good but I'm saving the proper read-through until there are no distractions," he explained.

"It's not the sort of thing you can muck about with."

The Peckham-set show - which introduced audiences to the rogue-ish but loveable Trotter siblings Del Boy and Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) - first aired in 1981 and ran for seven series until 1991.

A string of Christmas episodes and specials have since been made - but there have been no new episodes since 2003, while Sullivan died from viral pneumonia in 2011.

However the show has rarely been off screens thanks to frequent repeats, with early episodes currently being aired on Gold.

David Jason also recently reprised another of his best-loved characters, Open All Hours's Granville, in a new episode set to air on Boxing Day.