Every time Sacha Baron Cohen banks another million, a part of him dies. First he had to kill off Ali G because the Hilfiger-clad west Londoner became too well known to fool anyone. And now the actor has announced he is retiring Borat for the same reason. He’s not the first to call time on a character, and some are ripe for a comeback.

Alan Partridge

Steve Coogan’s fallen chat-show host helped define the 1990s and put Norwich on the map. Not that Coogan will be dusting down his green blazer or his finest sports casual slacks anytime soon: he’s got the new Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards movie to make. Yet talk of an Alan Partridge film is never far away. Ah-haa!

Basil Fawlty

“I can never do better than Fawlty Towers, whatever I do,” said John Cleese in 2006, clearly forgetting his film Clockwise was quite funny. Now living in California, he makes a comfortable living doing voiceover work and is unlikely to return to the Torquay hotel.

The Young Ones

Anyone at school in the 1980s will remember being blown away by the anarchic comings and goings of this student sitcom. But it hasn’t aged well, which is probably why Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson decided instead to tour the less famous Bottom around the nation’s theatres. The Old Ones, as far as we know, is not currently on anyone’s drawing board.

Blackadder

It’s astonishing to think that 18 years have passed since Blackadder Goes Forth, the final instalment of Ben Elton and Richard Curtis’s time-leaping comedy. Rowan Atkinson, the star of the series, is thought to be worth north of £100m, but that hasn’t stopped talk of a fifth Blackadder. Earlier this year it was reported that Atkinson was up for it, apparently favouring a prisoner-of-war theme.

David Brent

Just two series for Ricky Gervais’s nauseating Slough paper company boss (not counting the Christmas specials). There are no talks of a comeback yet (there’s really no need when you’re Hollywood’s best friend) but the Reading-born funnyman has jokingly admitted that if it all comes crashing down he could once more end up riding The Office gravy train.