James Nesbitt

Old wives' tales have had a bad press down the years. If you drop a fork it means a man is coming to visit. A loaf, once cut, cannot be turned upside down. Brexit means an end to straight bananas (or, indeed, Brexit means Brexit). But just occasionally, the biddies get it right: Cold Feet, warm heart.

It washed back all over our screens, marred only by the kind of breathless media hype that might have embarrassed Adolf at Nuremberg, and reminded us of some oddly hopeful days back in '97, when Mr Blair had yet to settle on his cabinet and his chosen faces for sad and happy, let alone on his fascinating career path of millionaire war criminal. The theme tune had changed, sadly (few songs speak to our fin de siecle with the redolence of Space's Female of the Species), but the title typeface was still there in all its spiky, pulsing horror. It was as close as the British got to Friends, with gratifyingly less glucose: Manhattan would never have dared to kill off its Rachel.

And it was by far the finest reheating of leftovers in this season of retro-love. Always well written, treading that tightrope between emotion and sentimentality that Manchester somehow seems always to get right, unlike some of its more shouty neighbours, this return also simply reminded us of the quality of the original cast. Witness how many have since carved out singular successes, or in James Nesbitt's case, multiple, having proved himself one of the few actors - Olivia Colman's another, and recently, Tom Hollander - equally adept at smart comedy and at drama that truly punches the kidneys.

The action has obviously moved on to midlife crises, and we can expect much filthy angsting over John Thomson's all-too-believable depression and Robert Bathurst's equally credible lack of capacity for self-examination. There's been a snaring in Singapore by Adam (Nesbitt) of a new wife, who has nothing at all going for her except youth, beauty, wit, money, wisdom, empathy and humour, and who is obviously wrong for him. All Manc life is here, which is to say all life is here, and I am hooked, line and sinker, all over again.

They've apparently moved on in Cornwall too, from tin to copper. Damn your eyes, progress!

Cold Feet, ITV, review

Mike Bullen's drama tackles midlife as if it's never been away.

Cold Feet fans reckon they know series ending already

Fans reckon Adam - who lost his wife Rachel (Helen Baxendale) in a car crash in the original series - will ditch Angela in favour for Tina by the end of the new series.

Return of Cold Feet is bleaker than just nostalgia

Returning after 13 years, the feelgood drama of the late 90s seems a far gloomier proposition in Brexit Britain.

Cold Feet review: it's great to have the gang back

Pete has lost his mojo; Adam has found a much younger bride. But this reunion is enjoyable for the characters - and, thankfully, for us.

Cold Feet: Oh it's good to have you back!

Ultimately, judging from the first episode alone, it's clear that any worries about Cold Feet's return were unwarranted as this new series seems to maintain all of what made the original so great.

Cold Feet - revival favoured poignancy over nostalgia

It's been 13 years since Cold Feet's credits last rolled, during which time the thirtysomethings had turned into fiftysomethings. Their cute toddlers were now hormonal teenagers. Could the old magic be recaptured with this heavily hyped comeback? Largely, yes. Cue sighs of relief from fans who feared their memories would be tarnished (for many of us, the BBC's dreadful 10th anniversary of Nineties hit drama This Life still lingers).

Meet the cast of Cold Feet

And find out what persuaded our 50-something friends in the north to return...

The Cold Feet cast on their highly-anticipated reunion

The cast on returning to the hit series - and confronting their own middle-aged years.

Cold Feet is back, hurrah! We catch up with the cast

Heartbroken and hungry for more, we left the six thirty-somethings in 2003. Thirteen years later Adam returns to Manchester with some life-changing news. Yes, ITV's iconic comedy-drama Cold Feet is finally back. We drop in on the cast, it's like they've never been away.