John Thomson has reassured fans that ‘Cold Feet’ is definitely not over yet.
The 50-year-old comedian – who plays Pete Gifford – has explained that the reason they are holding off working on series 10 is in order for showrunner Mike Bullen to spend quality time with his family and go travelling, and he insisted that the popular ITV comedy drama is by no means "cancelled".
Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the ‘Only Fools and Horses: The Musical’ anniversary performance in London on Thursday night (27.02.20), he said: "We’re having a break, we’ll come back.
"It’s not cancelled, we’re just waiting now to hear.
"Mike’s [Bullen] is having some time out, he’s 60 and wants to spend time with his family and travel.
When asked how long the break will be, he admitted: "I couldn’t say, it’s not up to me."
The show – which also stars James Nesbitt, Hermione Norris, Robert Bathurst and Fay Ripley – returned to screens in 2016 after initially ending in 2003, and Jon has insisted that the stars have a "duty of care" to ensure every episode is of the highest of quality.
Asked whether a break was needed, he said: "It could of gone on – supply and demand really.
"I just hope that the demand’s still there when he gets back. "They’ve maintained quality, that’s all we’ve done.
"We’ve supplied on demand, the show’s still very strong, and we have a duty of care as actors to maintain that quality.
"We’ve not cut any corners."
In a statement announcing the hiatus, Mike said: "We feel we’ve explored to our satisfaction the issues confronting the characters at this stage of their lives and we want to give them all a little time to move on, to put clear water between the stories we’ve told thus far and the issues they’ll be exploring when they are empty nesters staring down the barrel of grandparenthood.
"We’re looking forward to returning at a later date to document the agony and the ecstasy of the third age…"
The cast added: "The ‘Cold Feet’ team have proved that life never stops being funny, challenging and bitter sweet.
"So, although the show will take a well earned break, we all look forward, when the time is right, to returning to warm the nation’s hearts once again."
The ninth series finale aired last week and saw the characters embark on new adventures before facing a few challenges.
Adam and Karen – played by James and Hermione – had their relationship rocked when an offer came along that was too good to refuse, David (Robert) encountered an unexpected romance, and the Giffords (Fay and John) received some news that left them with a new perspective on life.
Mike had previously suggested the show could take a break in 2021 so he has "new stuff to write about".
Instead, he teased the series could have a one-off special.
He said: "I want to take a break. We are going to rest the series.
"We’re not going to do one next year. We need to give the characters some space to move on to new stages so that we’ve got stuff to write about.
"We’re talking about doing a one-off special to tide us over."
John Thomson: Cold Feet is not cancelled
