‘There are plans afoot’: Dawn French teases a return to television with new sitcom

The beloved Dawn French has dropped exciting hints about her imminent return to the small screen with the comedic genius teasing the launch of a brand-new sitcom.

Renowned for her iconic roles in The Vicar of Dibley and French and Saunders, the acclaimed actress and comedian recently teased details about her upcoming sitcom during a recent appearance on LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr.

French revealed her plans for the new sitcom, sharing her hope that viewers will enjoy the comedic offering on their screens either late next year or in early 2025.

“There are plans afoot,” she revealed.

“I can’t tell you too much about it at the moment. But at the end of next year or beginning of the following year, there will be a sitcom and I will be in it.”

As the wheels are set in motion to bring her newest comedy creation to life, French’s thoughts drift nostalgically to her dear friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, reflecting on the challenges Saunders faced in bringing the timeless classic Absolutely Fabulous to the screen.

“I remember Jennifer telling me how difficult it was to get Absolutely Fabulous off the ground, because her characters were smoking, drinking, and falling over and being complete eejits,” she said.

“But you know, it all seems so mild now… Let’s be inappropriate, let’s wear purple, let’s just push the edges a little bit and laugh at ourselves when we get it a bit wrong,” she added.

News of French’s new sitcom comes after she was forced to take a break from delivering the laughs when she cancelled her upcoming tour dates, citing health concerns as the reason behind her decision.

French took to Instagram at the time to announce with a “heavy heart” that she was postponing all remaining tour dates for her Dawn French Is A Huge Twat tour due to difficulties with arthritis.

 

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Fans from near and far were quick to rally behind French following her recent knee replacement surgery after she took to social media to share a post-surgery update from her hospital bed, the response nothing short of overwhelming.