It was one of the most popular programmes ever and was named on Time magazine’s 2007 list of 100 Best TV Shows of all-time.

Now, 20 years after Dallas left our screens, a new series is on the horizon. And no-one is more excited than Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing in the soap.

The 62-year-old is paying a visit to the Midlands next week for the National Motorhome & Caravan Show and is expecting to be flooded with questions from excited fans.

“Dallas is the gift that keeps on giving,”he said.

“We are so excited about it. There have been rumours over the years about another series but they have never been true or – if they were true – the scripts were so bad that we knew it could never happen.

“But when we saw this script we thought ‘finally – we can actually do it’.

“We wanted to work together again but we thought we never would. We’ve seen the pilot and it more than lives up to our expectations.”

The new series will feature the same popular theme tune and be based on the same ranch in Texas.

Patrick is pictured here on the set of Dallas during its original run 20 years ago

But in the years since we last saw him, Bobby has now remarried and Sue Ellen Ewing – played by Linda Gray – has returned as an influential Texas power broker.

“We are not doing Dallas of 20 years ago,” added Duffy.

“It will look the same but it is filmed in a way that is relevant to our time period.

“We make no bones about the fact it’s 20 years later. The beauty is we now have original cast members alongside a range of young cast members playing their children.”

He added: “To be as successful as the original series will be tough but I think it could be as successful as a television show can be today.

“If we could do seven or eight years of it, that would be phenominal.”

Caravan Club member Duffy will be making a guest appearance on the first day of the National Motorhome & Caravan Show, which is at the NEC in Birmingham from from Tuesday until Sunday October 16.

He is no stranger to motorhomes and regularly enjoys all the comforts of a home-from-home in a luxurious Winnebago, when filming on location.

And Duffy, who lives on a ranch in Oregon, said he was looking forward to visiting Birmingham for the show event next month.

“This will be the second time I have visited Birmingham and I am very excited,” he said.

“I am in the UK quite a bit for different functions and I always get a nice reception. People love the fact Bobby is supporting the show.”

Filming for the new series of Dallas is due to start in October and is due to be screened in America in the summer of 2012.

It is not yet known when it will be shown in the UK.

Advanced tickets for the National Motorhome & Caravan Show cost £8 for adults.

For more information visit www.motorhomeandcaravanshow.co.uk or call 0844 3387799.

David Lumb