In pictures: The year of the reunion 2013
- Published
When the surviving members of Monty Python's Flying Circus announced in November that they were reforming for a one-off event (which has since grown to ten nights), they capped off a year in which actors, singers and programme makers got back together to see if they still had that creative spark which made them great the first time round. And perhaps to make a little extra pocket change. Pipe-smoking Graham Chapman, above right, died in 1989 so will take no part in the live show. The poster for the events reads: "One down, five to go".
In February this year Destiny's Child, aka Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams played the half-time show at the US Super Bowl. They last released an album in 2006. Since then Beyonce has gone on to be become one of the biggest-selling solo artists in the world and - with her husband, rapper Jay Z - is one half of showbiz's most powerful couples. Rowland has enjoyed several chart hits and was a judge on The X Factor while Williams is a respected gospel singer and was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in the US.
Liberally doused in awards, fans of the US TV show Arrested Development were dismayed when their show was unceremoniously dumped in 2006. They had cause for rejoicing when, in May this year, 15 new episodes starring the dysfunctional Bluth family were made available on the streaming service Netflix. The revived series was nominated for three Emmy awards.
In many ways, they never left. However, with original member Kevin Richardson (far-right on first picture) rejoining what had, by mid 2012, become a four-piece, the full Backstreet Boys line-up released their first album in nearly eight years, in May this year. Boys no more and with some full facial hair, at 42, Richardson is the group's oldest member.
Twenty years after we left them wandering penniless but happy, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne are set to return in the long-awaited sequel Dumb and Dumber To. Actors Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels tweeted a picture of themselves in costume (left), looking remarkably unchanged since the original 1994 film.
UK fans of 70s rock giants Fleetwood Mac were delighted when former band member Christine McVie joined the band on stage at the O2 in September. She played keyboards on a rendition of the band's hit Don't Stop, a song she wrote in 1977. She had left the band in 1998. But she has expressed an interest in rejoining them permanently, telling The Guardian: "If they were to ask me [back] I would probably be very delighted."
Nearly ten years later, Ron Burgundy is still "kind of a big deal". US comedian Will Ferrell reunited the cast and director of Anchorman to film the long-awaited sequel to the cult newsroom-based comedy. Ferrell may be carrying a few extra pounds of weight but he still has "a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo".
No gallery on reunions would be complete without mentioning ITV's Big Reunion, which saw pop bands including B*Witched, The Honeyz, 5ive, Blue, 911, Liberty X and Atomic Kitten all reform and go on a UK arena tour. Somewhat inevitably they are releasing a charity Christmas single, a cover of Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.