Fat Friends: James Corden 2000s sitcom to get film spin-off with main cast returning, is ITV series streaming?

Fat Friends, a classic drama which ran on ITV for four seasons from 2000-2005, is set to return for a film spin-off, with big name cast members expected to reprise their roles.

The series followed a group of friends at a slimming club in Leeds, who consistently refused to follow the Super Slimmers diet. 

News of a reprisal follows the death of show writer Kay Mellor who died in May 2022, aged 71. Sharing a tribute to Mellor following her death, series star James Corden wrote on Instagram: “She changed my life when she cast me in Fat Friends on ITV. She saw something in me that no one had before that point. She gave so many people their first chances.”

Whilst stars Ruth Jones and James Corden are now both best known for playing dysfunctional lovers in BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey, an on-screen reunion of the pair will be a boon for their fans.

It has been reported that an early script has been written and production is ready to start, assuming the original cast are willing to return.

Who was in the cast of Fat Friends?

• Ruth Jones as Kelly Chadwick
• Janet Dibley as Carol McGary
• Alison Steadman as Betty Simpson
• Gaynor Faye as Lauren Harris
• James Corden as Jamie Rymer
• Lisa Riley as Rebecca Patterson
• Lynda Baron as Norma Patterson
• Jonathan Ryland as Kevin Chadwick
• Richard Ridings as Alan Ashburn
• Kathryn Hunt as Val Lorrimer
• Barrie Rutter asDouglas Simpson
• David Harewood as Max Robertson
• Paul Warriner Paul Thompson
• Bill Rodgers as Sid
• Josie Lawrence as Julia Fleshman

Who will be in the Fat Friends film cast?

So far, Gaynor Faye, who recently starred in Channel 5 drama The Inheritance, is confirmed to be reprising her role in the film - she told Channel 4’s Packed Lunch: “We're revisiting the characters and it's really exciting. Hopefully we're shooting it next year.”

The rest of the show's main cast, including Jones and Corden, have been approached about repairing their role for the film version, more than two decades after the series first aired.

Though Corden is looking much slimmer now, and has reportedly lost six stone since he was at his heaviest, and he may no longer fit the profile of a ‘fat friend’ he would be one of the most bankable members of the cast should he return.

Is Fat Friends available to stream in the UK?

It was announced in July that BritBox has acquired the rights to Fat Friends, but it is not currently available to watch on the platform. Unfortunately, Fat Friends is not available to watch, stream, rent or buy on any streaming service in the UK.

It is likely that if the film spin-off does come to fruition, the series will be added to ITVX or BritBox ahead of its release. Watch this space for updates on how to watch Fat Friends online.  

When is the release date of the Fat Friends film?

Currently, a release date for the film has not been confirmed. If production does get underway early next year, then a release date could be set for some time in early 2025.