Rumours are always swirling about revivals of our favourite 90s and 00s TV shows, and Cold Feet is no exception.
Now, Hermione Norris has set the record straight.
The 59-year-old actress played Karen Marsden, a woman feeling trapped by her middle-class lifestyle, in the hit comedy drama, which first aired from 1997 to 2003.
Following its 2016 revival with most of the original stars, creator Mike Bullen and the main cast confirmed the show had gone on a prolonged hiatus again after series 9.
But loyal viewers will be pleased to hear the co-stars are still in contact – although Hermione admits they’re unlikely to be able to confirm any reunion plans in the near future.
Speaking exclusively to Metro, the Spooks star shared: ‘We’re all in a WhatsApp group.
‘Fay [Ripley], I check in with quite a bit. All of us check in, really.’
On the constant speculation of another reboot, she continued: ‘There is often – you know, at the moment there seems to be something [online] that there is going to be a revisit of it.
‘It’s kind of, “Is this real? What’s going on?!” Because we would be the last people to ever know about it.’
Still, there won’t be any awkwardness if they do all end up reprising the beloved roles at some point.
‘I also saw Fay at a friend of ours’ wedding,’ revealed Hermione. ‘[They] were the producer of Cold Feet first time round.
‘So yeah, we’re in each other’s lives.’
Later, responding to murmurs of a possible Christmas reboot, alas, she’s in the dark.
‘News to me!’, exclaimed Hermione. ‘Nobody told me.
‘That is when we’ll connect. “Have you seen this? Have you heard this?”‘
The plot of Cold Feet followed three couples and the ups and downs of their relationships. The characters were Adam Williams and Rachel Bradley (James Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale), Pete and Jenny Gifford (John Thomson and Fay Ripley) and Karen and David Marsden (Hermione Norris and Robert Bathurst).
As the series progressed and romances hit turbulence, new characters were introduced. The Giffords divorced, Pete married Jo Ellison (Kimberley Joseph), and Karen and David also separated, going on to recouple with Mark Cubitt (Sean Pertwee) and Robyn Duff (Lucy Robinson).
Again, in the subsequent revival, new actors joined the fold to play the stars’ children and partners, after which it was concluded that the programme should be ‘rested for the foreseeable future’.
All hope is not lost, though, even if Hermione has no good news for us, as there has always been the view that a return will happen when the characters have reached the next suitable age for more stories to be unpacked.
Hermione appeared in every episode of Cold Feet and was nominated for a British Comedy Award in 2001 for her performance.
As for her work since, she’s clocked up a plethora of stage and screen credits, most notably in four series of BBC’s spy drama Spooks, in which she played Ros Myers.
Hermione has also starred in three seasons of Kingdom, played Stella Isen in sci-fi drama Outcasts, and been a guest star in series 8 of Doctor Who, among others.
For her latest TV outing, though, she’s done something very different.
Joining six other celebrities – Ashley Banjo, Tasha Ghouri, Hasan Al-Habib, Jayne Middlemiss, Ashley Blaker, and Patsy Kensit – she embarked on a deep self-discovery journey for Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island.
Asked why she signed up for the challenge, which involved connecting with folk of various faiths during a trail across the wild landscapes of North East England, Hermione admitted it was a ‘time of transition’ following her mother’s death 18 months prior, plus her children flying the nest.
‘I just thought it would be an amazing thing to do and be a part of,’ she told us. ‘I’m pleased I did it.
‘It was also a time to ask, “What do I really think? What do I really feel? What do I really believe?”
‘You get to a certain age, and you think you know, but the opportunity to listen to other people and their experiences, I found that informative and interesting.’
As for her own stance on religion, Hermione describes herself as a believer in God, with faith ‘key in [her] life’ – but the pilgrimage ‘reaffirmed’ that she does ‘not subscribe to any religious doctrine’, having confessed to being ‘put off’ by the ‘judgements’.
‘I don’t think that’s what God is. I think God is love.’
Watch Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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