Pauline Quirke, who played Sharon in Birds Of A Feather, has confirmed plans for a stage show of the sitcom in 2012.

The actress, who now runs a performing arts school and is currently appearing in ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale, was speaking on the red carpet of the British Soap Awards this weekend. She confirmed that she would be departing the soap at Christmas in order to tour in the play from spring 2012:

"Next year I'm going to be doing a tour of Birds Of A Feather. We're going to bring Birds Of A Feather back to the stage. I thought it was about time we resurrected us three old girls, so we'll be doing a tour next spring."

Birds Of A Feather, starring Quirke alongside real-life best friend Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, was one of the 1990s' most successful sitcoms, running for 9 highly popular series between 1989 and 1998 on BBC One. Written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the series focused on sisters Sharon and Tracey, thrown together when their husbands are jailed for armed bank robbery.

Quirke added: "We don't know where we're going to do it but we will be doing it - me, Linda and Lesley. We're just trying to work out whether we bring the story forward or leave it as we left it. But we were all 20 years younger looking then so will probably have to refresh it a bit."

The tour will follow the success of live stage versions of numerous other sitcoms in recent years, including two tours of Marks and Gran's The New Statesman, starring Rik Mayall. In March 2010, Maurice Gran revealed on the British Comedy Guide message board that a Goodnight Sweetheart musical was in the works. The writing duo also penned the West End smash-hit Dreamboats And Petticoats.

Further details regarding the tour are yet to be confirmed.