Back in February, we were devastated by the news that Jane McDonald had made the decision to leave her hit travel series Cruising With Jane McDonald.

Well, after eight months of what we can only describe as complete chaos and disorder, we’ve finally been gifted an actual glimmer of hope.

It’s our joy to report that Jane… has only gone and changed her mind.

Channel 5 boss Ben Frow told The Telegraph that while Jane made the decision to “step back to pursue other projects”, she’s now had a change of heart.

Or, as he put it: “The pandemic has put a spanner in those works and she is returning to the channel.”

In fact, Ben also noted that he’s just “signed off on the first of her new cruises”, adding: “Where there’s an opportunity to cruise, we’ll cruise.”

Quite how Cruising With Jane McDonald will work in a pandemic is beyond us, but frankly, even if it’s just an hour of Jane floating down the Thames in a dinghy, we’ll still be tuning in.

Cruising With Jane McDonald debuted in 2017, and has since gone on to become one of Channel 5’s most popular shows, even earning the network its first ever Bafta. 

Explaining her decision to leave earlier this year, Jane said: “It has been a privilege to call this a ‘job’. After so many years filming abroad I am looking forward to some much needed time in the UK and to focus on my music and tours and exciting new projects.

“Thank you Channel 5 for some great trips and many fabulous memories.”

In a separate blog post, Jane clarified that she was “stepping away from her shows on Channel 5”, suggesting her talk show Jane And Friends would also be coming to an end.

It was previously announced by Channel 5 that Susan Calman would be taking over from Jane as captain of Channel 5’s Cruising… series.

While it looks like these plans have been scuppered, the Scottish comedian’s travel series Secret Scotland With Susan Calman is now airing on Friday nights on Channel 5.