Dawn French breaks silence on French and Saunders reunion with two words
The talented comedic duo collaborated on their show, French and Saunders, from 1987 until 2005.
Comedian Dawn French has unveiled her desire to reunite with Jennifer Saunders. The talented comedic duo collaborated on their programme, French and Saunders, from 1987 until 2005. They returned to reprise their roles for a Comic Relief special in 2017, along with the programme 300 Years of French and Saunders, to mark its 30th anniversary. The duo quickly won the hearts of the nation, and after the series ended, both actresses went on to become individual stars in the comedy world. French, also known for her role in The Vicar of Dibley, has now lifted the lid on her wish to reunite with Saunders, saying: "I'm keen."
As part of an interview inside Good Housekeeping UK’s new Christmas TV Guide, French spoke exclusively to the magazine and said: "Jennifer and I talk every year about what we could do. A sitcom? A comedy? Can we be bothered to write it? Should it be a documentary?"
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She continued: "Maybe we’ll take the podcast on tour… But I’ve never seen a podcast on tour. We’d need five wigs and eight sets of teeth, as everything Jennifer and I have done has a big production value, even though it’s just two fat old birds yapping at the end of the day."
The pair first met in 1978 when they both studied to be drama teachers at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. However, after sharing a flat together, they realised that they both liked comedy.
French added: "Jennifer is very keen. I’m keen. I want to make sure whatever we do offers value for money. I will happily take any chance to spend time with Jennifer."
During the 1980s, their collaborations became hugely successful and culminated in the ITV sitcom Girls on Top in 1985, which featured Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman, before the pair were later given their own sketch show in 1987.
Their most recent TV project together was a spoof of The Traitors for Comic Relief in 2023, where French played a version of Claudia Winkleman. They also reunited as guest detectives during the Christmas special of The Masked Singer UK last year.
The full interview can be read in the Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide.
