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"We already have several bids on it and some of them are in excess of the guide price," said Simon Fielding, of Fine and Country.

Though he didn’t utter a word, the chance to stand toe-to-toe with public defender Dan Fielding, played by actor John Larroquette, in front of a live studio audience was “unreal,” he told The Times.

The Telegraph's film critic Robbie Collin told BBC Radio 4's Front Row that was because Americans "don't care about Bridget" and that the character - created by British writer Helen Fielding - remains "an extremely local concern".

"They came across as two loveable uncles that just made you roar with laughter and you felt so much love towards them, they were so different and wonderful and unique" Fielding said.

When Fielding turned the column into a book, it was an instant fly-off-the-shelves hit.