Lee Mack and Catherine Tate are to star in a UK remake of smash US sitcom 'Everybody Loves Raymond'.



The BBC are behind the plan, currently calling the show 'The Smiths'.



It will follow the set-up of the US version, with 'Not Going Out' star Mack as the wise-cracking sports writer and Tate as his long-suffering wife.



The action will be transplanted to Cheshire, as opposed to Long Island, with Mack's brother and parents living across the street.



[Related story: McKellen and Jacobi sitcom gets critical panning]





The show, often shown in the morning comedy slot on Channel 4, was one of the most successful US sitcoms of all time, winning a host of Emmys.



Ray Romano, who played the lead role over nine seasons from 1996 to 2005, was at one time the highest-paid actor on TV thanks to the show, earning £1.15 million per episode.



The show, created by writer Phil Rosenthal, also broke revenue records in US TV, earning $3.9 billion (£2.5 billion).



According to reports, the BBC is planning to film a pilot version of the show this month, with a view to launching the series next year. [The Sun]



Also in today's press



Lord Sugar has fired his second 'Apprentice' contestant in as many days. Mexican food entrepreneur Tim Stillwell's team failed the beer selling task and paid the price for the loss. “If ever in my life I've come across a team who literally couldn't organise a p*ss-up in a brewery, it's now,” said Sugar. [Daily Mirror]



However, the show has shed another 800,000 viewers, according to overnight ratings data. 5.21 million watched the second episode of the new series on BBC One, though it still remained the highest viewed show in its time slot. It emerged yesterday that the launch episode on Tuesday night was down nearly half a million on the launch of the last series. [Digital Spy]



Sharon Osbourne has reportedly signed a ￡1.8 million deal to replace Tulisa on the judging panel of 'The X Factor'. Osbourne left the show six years ago. [The Sun]













































