Two years after he ended his three-decade stint on ‘The Late Show’, the late night TV legend David Letterman is to come out of retirement to host a new talk show for streaming giant Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday night (August 8th), the 70 year old presenter has signed a new deal with Netflix to host a six-episode series for the service in 2018.

“I feel excited and lucky to be working on this project for Netflix,” Letterman said in a statement announcing the series this week. “Here's what I have learned, if you retire to spend more time with your family, check with your family first. Thanks for watching, drive safely.”

David LettermanDavid Letterman is coming out of retirement to front a new Netflix chat show

Of course, unlike his CBS series, the Netflix season will be pre-recorded to fit the format rather than being broadcast live. A release date has not yet been confirmed.

Over 14 million viewers tuned in to see Letterman’s final broadcast on ‘The Late Show’ in May 2015, which brought to an end his 33-year career as a chat show host on NBC and then CBS, during which he hosted more than 6,000 shows and racked up 52 Emmy nominations (with 10 wins). Hundreds of celebrities, as well as former presidents, paid tribute to him upon his retirement.

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Clearly, the new series is a bid from Netflix to try to get a share of the older TV viewing market – the average age of Letterman’s audience for ‘The Late Show’ was 58, whereas Netflix has a firm grip on the under-35s but not that much penetration elsewhere.

“Just meeting David Letterman was a thrill; imagine how exciting it is for me to announce that we will be working together,” Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter about the new collaboration.

“David Letterman is a true television icon, and I can't wait to see him out in the wild, out from behind the desk and interviewing the people he finds most interesting. We'll have to see if he keeps the beard.”

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