The Rebel is a short, slightly-sharp sitcom based upon comic strips from The Oldie. The first series ran quite discreetly on Gold last year but clearly did sufficiently well to merit a comeback as, today, UKTV have announced a fresh run of six, half-hour episodes – twice the length of the original stretch.

Andrew Birch, creator of the original strip, scripts the show, maybe a little more gently than the usual sitcom of today. The main appeal is obviously in seeing Callow behaving badly but the supporting cast do add some value, with Bill Patterson, Anna Crilly, Amit Shah and Anita Dobson all on the roster. Also returning is director Vadim Jean, of sometime Leon the Pig Farmer fame, who will be once again handling the entire set of episodes.

The announcement cites Callow’s excitement. “I’m so pleased to be getting inside Henry Palmer’s skin again: a man of certain age behaving very badly, casting off the chains of convention, uttering the unutterable and defying decency. Age has only sharpened his refusal to conform. Ladies and gentlemen – sorry – hello everyone, I give you Henry Palmer: reprobate, rascal – Rebel.”

Here’s a cop-punching sample of Palmer in action, complete with his scathing review of Classic FM.

Expect to see The Rebel tearing up the streets of Brighton once more on Gold, sometime later this year.