Simon Fuller - creator of hit UK TV talent show Pop Idol - has begun talks to remake the 1960s cult comedy series The Monkees.

Fuller, who also first managed the Spice Girls, began discussions with US TV network NBC on Tuesday, according to trade journal Variety.

The Monkees followed the comic antics of Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, the members of the purpose-made boy band of the show's title.

Fuller's updated show would feature a new handpicked American all-male group in the roles made famous by the musical, accident-prone foursome.

S Club 7 had chart and TV success

If Fuller's plan gets the go-ahead, the revisited show would first be screened in the US in the autumn of 2003.

Fuller, who also created the UK pop group S Club 7, bought the rights to The Monkees concept and name.

The Monkees was also the inspiration for S Club 7 - the chart-topping who group who also starred in their own US-based children's show.

The group are now known as S Club, following the departure of original member Paul Cattermole.

Reunion

Fuller's updated Monkees would feature many of the elements that made the original series popular, such as comedy sketches and music.

The Monkees ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968 but repeats have continued to draw new audiences.

And although the band were effectively "made-for-TV", songs from the show - such as Daydream Believer and Last Train to Clarksville - went on to top the charts in the US and later the UK.

The TV series finished in 1968 as the group strove for musical independence.

They have reunited several times during the past 15 years, despite acrimonious relationships. Three of the group, excluding Nesmith, have also been on tour.

Fuller currently serves as an executive producer on US TV network Fox's series American Idol - based on his Pop Idol format.