Dawn French admits she was ‘humiliated’ over sketch that ended comedy show French and Saunders

The phrase ‘national treasure’ gets thrown around a lot, possibly too much, but someone who has definitely earned the title has to be Dawn French.

The comedy icon is, of course, the main character in The Vicar of Dibley as well as being one half of French and Saunders.

That comedy sketch show with her best mate Jennifer Saunders ran from 1987 to 1993 – with specials following until 2005.

And French has now admitted she was ‘humiliated’ over a certain sketch that ended the BBC show.

The double act’s series was given one of the highest budgets in the broadcaster's history as the pair created hilarious spoofs and satires.

They’d recreate films like Thelma & Louise and spoof music acts like ABBA.

French and Saunders would also feature celebrity appearances including Joanna Lumley, Lenny Henry and Kathy Burke.

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However, it was a sketch with Anastacia that decided the show was done for good.

French recalls the ‘humiliating’ moment during a new BBC documentary about her and Saunders.

The 66-year-old says she has never disliked her body, despite receiving criticism of her size.

She credits her late dad for instilling her with confidence as a child as she says: “I think he just knew instinctively that he needed to make sure that I had armour.

"We live in a world where people would love you to have some shame about whatever shape you are - and I just have never understood why I should.

"It's who I am, and I'm going to inhabit it right to the very ends of my fingers, because it's what I've got to work with."

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But when she had to dress in a similar outfit to Anastacia for a sketch, French felt she had become the joke.

"I looked in the mirror and I thought: 'Yes, this isn't it, this isn't what Anastacia looks like.' But instead of finding it funny, I just thought ‘Oh, I don't like it’,” she explained.

"It just felt like I wasn't in control of the comedy. The joke was on me. I hadn't controlled it in any way."

And with that, French and Saunders decided to retire their beloved show in 2008.

The women went on to continue with their other projects and have continued with exploring what they know best – the ‘empowering nature of female friendship’.

You can watch Imagine… French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter on BBC iPlayer.

Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, BBC

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_