Amy Acker, speaking at the recent Saturn Awards, told the Sci-Fi Wire web site of plans to bring Willow across to Angel.

"We're all hoping that she'll come do a couple of episodes at least. We figure [her fiance] Alexis [Denisof] has a pretty strong pull. We're working that angle."

One thing Acker was less sure about was the mystery surrounding Charisma Carpenter's expected absence from the fifth season.

"I haven't even heard that officially," she said. "I guess it's official, but I'm not sure... Probably, she's been doing it for a long time, and now she has the baby, and she's a mom. So she has two jobs now."

Another former Buffy star being courted by the producers to return as a recurring character is Harmony. The ditzy vampire, played by Mercedes McNab, was last seen in season two's Disharmony.