STILL Game stars Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill agree you can't turn back the clock.

But you can rewind it, stand back and see how it ticks.

The comedy writer-performers reunited in public yesterday for the first time in six years to announce a Still Game stage show would run at The Hydro, Glasgow, over four nights next September.

The production at the 12,000-seater venue could net more than £2million in ticket sales.

Kiernan and Hemphill also revealed their much-loved characters Jack and Victor, who starred in the BBC Scotland sitcom for five years, would be returning to television.

The smiles the pair revealed certainly belied the bad feeling existing when their split took place, with the partners - and one-time close friends - going their separate ways. However, the artistic differences that prompted the split have been settled. Time, and the lure of massive box office, is a great healer.

The pair said they were "massively excited" about the return and Kiernan said he and his chum had been talking for some time. "We live in the same area (the west end of Glasgow), the kids are at the same school, so we've been blethering. But for me the key moment that made me think about bringing Still Game back was going to see a stage production of the original Still Game play at the Ayr Gaiety this year.

"As I was standing outside the theatre before the show, a bloke came up to me and said, 'How come you're no' inside?' I had to explain to him it was a Sonic Boom theatre company production Greg and I had given permission to stage and he said, 'And I've paid seven and a half quid - and you and the other fella' are no' in it? To hell wi' that!'

Hemphill agrees the time felt right. "We never really stopped talking completely, so there was always the chance we would get around to bringing the show back. But for me, the catalyst was watching the arrival of The Hydro. We figured it would be an incredible arena to play. And now that is what we're planning to do."

Hemphill added; "We are not entirely sure what format the stage show will take. It may incorporate some of the best bits from the TV show, but joined on to a completely new play."

The pair are not yet sure yet whether Still Game will make its television comeback as a Christmas or Hogmanay special for 2014.

Kiernan said it could even run as a new series. "We just don't know yet. We've still to speak to BBC Scotland to see what they want."

He added; "I have worked out I can still play this character for 23 years before I catch up to his age, so there's lots of mileage left."

Hemphill agreed; "We never killed off any of the characters. Isa, Tam, Navid, Boaby and Winston are all still very much alive, so there is lots of scope for developing them."

The actors who play the key characters, Jane McCarry, Sanjeev Kohli, Gavin Mitchell and Paul Riley were also at yesterday's press call. Riley outlined how delighted the actors were to see the old gang reunited. "It was a case of getting back together - or cooking crystal meth," he joked.

Kiernan revealed the stage show could run for more than the scheduled four nights at the 12,000-seater venue. "You never know," he said, "We'll wait and see what the reaction is when the tickets are announced, but we think the appetite for the characters is still healthy."

Kohli, who plays shopkeeper Navid in the series, said he was never in doubt Still Game would reappear. "Spandau Ballet got back together - and they had sued each other," he recalled. "So anything is possible."

Still Game - Live At The Hydro, September 3-6, 2014. Tickets £45 (£30 concessions) go on sale tomorrow.