CHEERS - ALLEY HEADS FOR THE ABBEY

ALLEY HEADS FOR THE ABBEY

CHEERS star KIRSTIE ALLEY is reportedly set to follow in the footsteps of DAWN FRENCH in an American version of THE VICAR OF DIBLEY.

The 56-year-old actress will take on the role of a cleric who returns to the village where she wreaked havoc as a rebellious adolescent.

Called THE MINISTER OF DIVINE, the US version is only confirmed as a pilot for the FOX network.

Her character is described by FOX boss SUSAN LEVISON as "a woman with a past who's trying to make amends, and isn't afraid to call things as she sees them".

Levison also told the Chortle website that the show will be set in Divine, Georgia.

"Setting the show in the South takes advantage of a culture that embraces the church and its customs," she explained.

ALLEY, who shot to fame in the 1980s opposite TED DANSON in CHEERS, has had mixed success after the hit series ended 14 years ago.

She starred in various made-for-TV movies and in the sitcom VERONICA'S CLOSET. Her most recent small-screen venture was the series FAT ACTRESS, which told the story of her battle against the bulge.