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Dawn French

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Dawn French
French in 2005
Born
Dawn Roma French

(1957-10-11) 11 October 1957 (age 67)
Holyhead, Wales
EducationCentral School of Speech and Drama (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active1981–present
Notable workFrench and Saunders
The Vicar of Dibley
Spouse
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 2010)​

    Mark Bignell
    ​
    (m. 2013)​
Children1
AwardsBAFTA Fellowship (2009)

Dawn Roma French[1] (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series French and Saunders (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and playing the lead role of Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2020). French has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.[2]

Early life

[edit]

French was born on 11 October 1957 in Holyhead, Wales, to English parents Felicity Roma (née O'Brien; 1934 – 2012)[3] and Denys Vernon French (5 August 1932 – 11 September 1977),[4] who married in their home town of Plymouth in 1953. French has an older brother, Gary. Her father served in the Royal Air Force, stationed at RAF Valley and later RAF Leconfield, where Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother went to tea at French's home when French was three years old. RAF archive footage of this event was included in French's comedy tour/video Thirty Million Minutes.

The RAF partly funded French's private education.[5] When her father was stationed at RAF Faldingworth, French attended Caistor Grammar School for one year. She later attended boarding school at St Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls in Plymouth (since absorbed by Plymouth College), where she was a member of Downton house. After finishing her schooling, she spent a year studying at the Spence School in New York on a debating scholarship that she won while at school.[5]

French has said that her self-confidence and self-belief stem from her father, who told her how beautiful she was each day.[6] She stated, "He taught me to value myself. He told me that I was beautiful and the most precious thing in his life."[7] Denys had a history of severe depression and made two suicide attempts, but managed to conceal his illness from Dawn and Gary.[6] When French was 19, her father died by suicide.[8]

In 1977, French began studying drama at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she met her future comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders.[6][9] Both came from RAF backgrounds. They had grown up on the same camps, even having had the same best friend, although never meeting.[10] Saunders recalled her first perception of French was that she was a "cocky little upstart"; French considered Saunders to be snooty and aloof.[10] The comic duo originally did not like each other as French wanted to become a drama teacher[9] whereas Saunders loathed the idea and thus disliked French for being enthusiastic and confident about the course.[6]

French and Saunders shared a flat while at college and were influenced to do comedy by their flatmates as part of their projects for college. After talking in depth for the first time, they came to be friends.[6] While at college, French broke up with her fiancé, a former Royal Navy officer. After French and Saunders graduated from the Royal Central School, they decided to form a double-act called the Menopause Sisters. Saunders has described the act, which involved wearing tampons in their ears, as "cringeworthy".[11] The manager of the club recalled, "They didn't seem to give a damn. There was no star quality about them at all."[10] French and Saunders came to public attention as members of the Comic Strip, part of the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s.

Career

[edit]

Television

[edit]

1980s

[edit]

French has had an extensive career on television, debuting on Channel 4's The Comic Strip Presents series in an episode called "Five Go Mad in Dorset" in 1982.[9] Each episode presented a self-contained story and, in addition to French and Saunders, showcased Comic Strip performers Peter Richardson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Robbie Coltrane and Adrian Edmondson. She acted in 27 of the 37 episodes and wrote two of them.[9] One episode featured a parody of spaghetti westerns and another a black and white film about a hopelessly goofy boy. Some of French's first exposure to a wider audience occurred when comedy producer Martin Lewis recorded a Comic Strip record album in 1981 which featured sketches by French & Saunders. The album was released on Springtime!/Island Records in September 1981 and presented French and Jennifer Saunders to an audience outside London. In 1985, French starred with Saunders, Tracey Ullman, Ruby Wax and Joan Greenwood in Girls on Top, which portrayed four eccentric women sharing a flat in London.[9]

French has co-written and starred in her and Saunders' comedy series, French & Saunders, which debuted in 1987.[9] On their show, the duo have spoofed many celebrities such as Madonna, Cher, Catherine Zeta-Jones and the Spice Girls. They have also parodied films such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After 20 years being on television together, their sketch series A Bucket o' French & Saunders, began airing on 8 September 2007.[6]

1990s

[edit]

French and Saunders have also followed separate careers. During French's time starring in Murder Most Horrid, from 1991 to 1999, she played a different character each week, whether it was the murderer, victim, or both.[9]

French's biggest solo television role to date has been as the title figure in the long-running BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley, which Richard Curtis created for her. The show began in 1994. She stars as Geraldine Granger, a vicar of a small fictional village called Dibley. An audience of 12.3 million watched the final full-length episode to see her character's marriage ceremony.[12] She appeared on The Vicar of Dibley with Damian Lewis in a mini-episode made for Comic Relief in 2013. She was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance in the last episode of The Vicar of Dibley. Repeats of the show on BBC One still attract millions of viewers and it also retains a following amongst PBS viewers in the United States.[13] Although the main series ended in 2007, the show has returned for numerous short special episodes since, the latest four of which aired in December 2020.

In 1995, she appeared as a talk-show host in a Comic Relief sketch called Dawn, written by Victoria Wood. The sketch also featured Wood herself, Celia Imrie, Lill Roughley, Anne Reid, Philip Lowrie, Robert Kingswell, Bryan Burdon, Duncan Preston, Jim Broadbent, and Lynda Bellingham.[14][15]

2000s

[edit]

In 2002, French appeared in the comedy/drama mini-series Ted and Alice. In the series, set in the Lake District, French played a tourist information officer who falls in love with an alien.[16] She appeared once in the Saunders led sitcom Absolutely Fabulous as TV interviewer Kathy in 1992, a parody of Lorraine Kelly, she reprised that role for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in 2016 as a more established veteran journalist as Kelly is now. She also appeared in the BBC sitcom Wild West, with Catherine Tate,[17] in which she played a woman living in Cornwall who is a lesbian, more through lack of choice than any specific natural urge. This series did not meet with as much success as her earlier roles and it ended in 2004 after two years.[18]

French played a major role in Jam & Jerusalem as a woman called Rosie who has dissociative identity disorder and with it an alter ego called "Margaret". She co-starred alongside Sue Johnston, Jennifer Saunders (who also created and wrote the series) and Joanna Lumley.[19] She made a guest appearance in Little Britain as Vicky Pollard's mother. French also appeared in a special version of Little Britain Live which featured several celebrity guests and was shown by the BBC as part of Comic Relief. She played the part of a lesbian barmaid in a sketch with Daffyd Thomas.[20]

In 2006, French appeared in Agatha Christie's Marple in the 2006 episode "Sleeping Murder".[21] She appeared as Caroline Arless in the BBC television drama Lark Rise to Candleford in 2008. Talking about her role, she has stated, "I'm quite a vibrant character. She's quite extreme, in that she drinks too much, laughs too much and sings too much. But she loves her family very much; it's just that she goes over the top sometimes."[22]

2010s

[edit]

In late 2010, French starred in Roger & Val Have Just Got In with actor Alfred Molina, which aired for two series.[23]

French appeared in Little Crackers, short comedy films which were broadcast over Christmas in 2010.[24]

French appeared as a special guest on Michael Bublé's Home For Christmas in December 2011.[25] In July 2012, she was a judge in ITV's Superstar live shows.[26] In March 2013, it was announced that French would replace Brian McFadden on the judging panel of Nine Network's Australia's Got Talent alongside Kyle Sandilands, Geri Halliwell (who replaced Dannii Minogue) and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge.[27] French departed the show after one series and was replaced by Kelly Osbourne.

From 2016 until 2019, French starred in three series of Delicious on Sky 1, co-starring as a talented cook who is having an affair with her celebrity chef ex-husband (Iain Glen) who has remarried and started a successful hotel business with his new wife (Emilia Fox) in Cornwall.[28]

2020s

[edit]

In 2020, she appeared in the six-part series The Trouble with Maggie Cole alongside Mark Heap.

In 2021, French appeared as a celebrity guest judge on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where she judged the final five contestants, Lawrence Chaney, Bimini Bon-Boulash, Tayce, Ellie Diamond and A'Whora, on their comedy stand-up routines.[29]

Film

[edit]

In 1996, French appeared in The Adventures of Pinocchio as "The Baker's Wife" alongside Martin Landau and star Jonathan Taylor Thomas. French played The Fat Lady in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,[30] replacing Elizabeth Spriggs, who played the character in the first film of the series. French's then-husband, Lenny Henry, provided the voice of the Shrunken Head in the same film, though they shared no screen time. In 2005, French provided the voice for the character Mrs. Beaver in Disney and Walden Media's film adaptation of C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[31] In 2010, French lent her voice to the role of Angie the Elephant in the English dub of the German-British environmental animated film Animals United.

Theatre

[edit]

She has also taken roles in the theatre. French has appeared in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream,[32] My Brilliant Divorce,[33] and Smaller,[34] the latter of which she played a schoolteacher caring for her disabled mother. January 2007 saw French performing as the Duchesse de Crackentorp at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in The Daughter of the Regiment (La fille du régiment) by Gaetano Donizetti starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez.[35] French returned to Covent Garden and La Fille du règiment in the 2010 revival.[36]

In December 2022, French began appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium.[37]

Stand-up comedy

[edit]

In 2014, French toured an autobiographical one woman show 30 Million Minutes in the UK and Oceania.[38] The title is based on the amount of minutes she had been alive at the time of producing the show.[39]

In 2022, she toured the UK with a further show titled Dawn French is a Huge Twat. In late 2022 it was announced that she would continue touring the UK with the same show in Autumn 2023, with further shows taking place in Australia in 2024.[40][41]

Advertising

[edit]

French was chosen as the face of Terry's Chocolate Orange,[42] from 1997 until August 2007.[43] She has also been in advertisements for the Churchill Insurance Company.

In 2019, French provided her voice for numerous Station idents for Greatest Hits Radio. This was produced in partnership with Bespoke Music.

In 2021, French was chosen to play the voice of a fairy lady for the Christmas food advertisements for leading retailer Marks and Spencers alongside Tom Holland voicing the company's mascot Percy Pig (who came to life for the first time in 29 years). In the main advert French as the fairy drops her magic wand onto a box covered in Percy pig wrappings, the lid opens and Percy pops out of the box. Throughout the rest of the advertisement she shows Percy all of the items which the retailer was selling for Christmas food.[44]

She later reprised the role for the 2022 M&S Christmas advert, playing alongside Jennifer Saunders voicing a sidekick called ‘Duckie’. The pair, in the main advert, go on a journey to fill Duckie with ‘some festive cheer’ while showing off the M&S Food Christmas range for 2022.[45]

Writing

[edit]

French has also written a best-selling epistolary[46] autobiography, which she has titled Dear Fatty. French was paid a £1.5 million advance for the book, which was released in 2008.[47] On an appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 6 October 2008, French said that "Fatty" is her nickname for Jennifer Saunders, as a joke about her own size. French said that she became great friends with Saunders well before they started working together, which was "over 30 years ago". The book consists of letters to the different people who have been in her life. In 2017, Me. You. A Diary, French's second non-fiction book, was released.[48] She has also written four novels – A Tiny Bit Marvellous (2010),[49] Oh Dear Silvia (2012),[50] According to Yes (2015)[51] and Because of You (2020). Because of You was longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction. Her third non-fiction book, The Twat Files, tied in to her second stand-up show Dawn French is a Huge Twat, was published in October 2023.

Music videos

[edit]

In 1986, she appeared in Kate Bush's music video "Experiment IV" alongside Hugh Laurie, Richard Vernon and Peter Vaughan.

French has appeared in the videos for Alison Moyet's songs "Love Letters" (which also featured Saunders) in 1987 and "Whispering Your Name" in 1994.

She also appeared in two Comic Relief music videos. In 1989 she joined Jennifer Saunders and Kathy Burke to form Lananeeneenoonoo and, along with Bananarama, they created a charity single to raise money for Comic Relief. It was a cover version of The Beatles song "Help!", and was released on the London Records label, entering the UK Singles Chart on 25 February 1989 and reaching a high of #3. It remained in the chart for nine weeks.[52]

French, Saunders and Burke returned for Comic Relief in 1997 as "The Sugar Lumps," along with Llewella Gideon and Lulu, to parody The Spice Girls, with whom they performed a version of "Who Do You Think You Are?".[53]

Personal life

[edit]

French met comedian Lenny Henry on the alternative comedy circuit. The couple married on 20 October 1984 in Covent Garden, London.[54] They adopted a daughter, Billie.[55] French has stated that Billie has always known that she was adopted,[55] but once took out an injunction when a biographer came close to revealing the identity of Billie's biological mother. When faced with a question about how she and Henry would feel if Billie wanted to find out about her birth mother, French commented, "Whatever she wants to do when she's 18, we'll support her. What I do worry about is anyone else making the decision for her."[55]

During the 2010 general election campaign, French was cited as a supporter of the Labour Party.[56] She supported Keir Starmer during the 2020 Labour leadership election.[57]

On 6 April 2010, French and Henry announced they were separating after 25 years of marriage. It was reported that the separation was amicable. They had decided to separate in October the previous year but left announcing it until some months later, as they were still in discussion over the separation.[58] Their divorce was finalised later that year.[59]

French began dating charity executive Mark Bignell in 2011. On 22 April 2013, it was reported that they had just married.[59] The couple resided in Fowey, Cornwall, in a mansion overlooking Readymoney Cove. The Grade II-listed building dates back to the 19th century.[46] In May 2021 it was announced that French had sold her Fowey property, having moved to an 1868 Gothic revival property in Calstock.[60]

In September 2014, French was named as the new Chancellor of Falmouth University.[61]

French is a supporter of Plymouth Argyle.[62]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

French and Saunders won the honorary Golden Rose of Montreux award in 2002 and in 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2006 poll consisting of 4,000 people, French was named as the most admired female celebrity amongst women in Britain.[63]

In February 2013, she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[64]

BAFTA Awards

[edit]
  • 1989 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in French and Saunders
  • 1991 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in French and Saunders
  • 1998 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2000 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2001 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2007 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2009 – Won – BAFTA Fellowship – awarded with Jennifer Saunders[65]
  • 2011 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in Roger and Val Have Just Got In

British Comedy Awards

[edit]

National Television Awards

[edit]
  • 1998 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2000 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2002 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performance in Ted and Alice
  • 2003 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performance in Wild West

Other

[edit]

Acting credits

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Comic Strip Various Roles
Five Go Mad in Dorset George
1982–1984 The Young Ones Insane Christian Woman/Mrs Easter Bunny/She-Devil
1983 Five Go Mad on Mescaline George
1985 Happy Families Cook
1985–1986 Girls on Top Amanda Ripley
1987 The Storyteller Bad Sister Episode: Sapsorrow
1987–2007 French and Saunders Various Roles
1991–1999 Murder Most Horrid Various Roles Anthology
1992 Absolutely Fabulous Kathy (Interviewer) Series 1, Episode 5 – "Magazine"
1993 Screen One Elaine Dobbs Episode: "Tender Loving Care"
The Legends of Treasure Island Jim Hawkins Voice; Series 1
1994 The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller Herself
1994–2020 The Vicar of Dibley Geraldine Granger Leading role; 2 series and 10 specials (20 episodes)
1997 Sex & Chocolate Bev Bodger
1999 Let Them Eat Cake Lisette
2000 Watership Down Buttercup Voice
French and Saunders Live Various Roles
2001 The Wheels on the Bus Narrator
2002 Ted and Alice Alice Putkin
2002–2004 Wild West Mary
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple: Sleeping Murder Janet Erskine
Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy Herself
Little Britain Abroad Shelly Pollard
2006, 2008–2009 Jam & Jerusalem Rosie Clatterford in the U.S.
2007 High Table
The Meaning of Life
Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy Herself
2008, 2011 Lark Rise to Candleford Caroline Arless
2009 The Paul O'Grady Show Guest Host
2009–2011 Psychoville Joy Aston
2010–2012 Roger & Val Have Just Got In Val Stevenson
2012 Superstar Judge
2013 Heading Out Frances
2013–2014 Australia's Got Talent Judge
The Wrong Mans Linda Bourne
2016–2019 Delicious[66] Gina Sky One drama
2017 300 Years of French and Saunders[67] Various BBC One Christmas special
2017–2018 Little Big Shots[68] Presenter ITV talent show
2020 The Trouble with Maggie Cole Maggie Cole ITV series[69]
Cornwall Air 999 Narrator Really TV Documentary series
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse Beatrix Potter TV film
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race UK Guest Judge BBC Three;
Series 2, Episode 8: "Stoned on the Runway"
The Secret World of... Narrator Channel 4 documentary series[70]
Walk The Line Judge ITV musical game show[71]
2022 Red Riding Hood: After Ever After Twit Voice[72]
2023 imagine… French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter Herself One-off documentary[73]
TBA Can You Keep a Secret? Debbie Fenton Upcoming sitcom[74]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Supergrass Andrea
1987 Eat the Rich Debbie Draws
1996 The Adventures of Pinocchio The Baker's Wife
1999 Milk Virginia
David Copperfield Mrs. Crupp, landlady
2000 Maybe Baby Charlene
2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Fat Lady
2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Mrs. Beaver Voice
2006 Love and Other Disasters Therapist
2009 Coraline Miss Miriam Forcible Voice
2010 Animals United Angie Voice
2016 Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Kathy (Interviewer) Also executive producer
2022 Death on the Nile Mrs. Bowers
2023 The Magician's Elephant Sister Marie Voice

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Location
1993–1994 Me and Mamie O'Rourke Strand Theatre, London
When I was a Girl I used to Scream and Shout Whitehall Theatre, London
All Soul's Night Lyric Theatre, London
1996 Swan Lake
1997 Then Again
Side By Side
2001 A Midsummer Night's Dream
2003 My Brilliant Divorce Apollo Theatre, London
2005 Smaller Lyric Theatre, London
2007 La fille du régiment Royal Opera House, London
2008–2009 Still Alive
2014 Thirty Million Minutes
2018–2019 Snow White at the Palladium London Palladium
2022–2023 Jack and the Beanstalk London Palladium

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Voice role Notes
2020 Sackboy: A Big Adventure Scarlet

Bibliography

[edit]
Fiction
  • A Tiny Bit Marvellous (Penguin, 2010)
  • Oh Dear Silvia (Penguin, 2012)
  • According to Yes (Penguin, 2015)
  • Because of You (Michael Joseph, 2020)
Autobiography
  • Dear Fatty (Arrow, 2007)
  • Me. You. A Diary (Penguin, 2017)
  • The Twat Files (Penguin, 2023)
Comedy
  • Girls on Top (with Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax) (HarperCollins, 1986)
  • A Feast of French and Saunders (with Jennifer Saunders) (Mandarin, 1992)
Other
  • Big Knits: Bold, Beautiful, Designer Knitwear (with Sylvie Soudan) (Ebury, 1990)
  • Great Big Knits: Over Twenty Designer Patterns (with Sylvie Soudan) (Trafalgar Square, 1993)
  • Frigid Women by Sue and Victoria Riches (with a foreword by Dawn French) (Eye Books Direct, 1996)
  • Cruising by Beryl Cook (with a foreword by Dawn French) (Victor Gollancz, 2000)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dawn French: "I just had a lot of fun"". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
  2. ^ "French & Saunders BAFTA Fellowship 2009". bafta.org. 28 December 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Julie (24 April 2012). "Dawn French: I've lost the mum who inspired me". Daily Express.
  4. ^ Births, Marriages and Deaths Index – England & Wales
  5. ^ a b "Dawn French – introduction". 31 January 2000. Archived from the original on 31 January 2000.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Home Page – The TLS". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Opinion". Telegraph.co.uk. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.[dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Dawn French: 'It was like a bomb went off in our family'". The Daily Telegraph. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Dawn French". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
  10. ^ a b c Aitkenhead, Decca (19 June 2004). ""What are you looking at?"". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  11. ^ French, Dawn. (2009) [2008]. Dear Fatty. London: Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0-09-951947-8. OCLC 813008093.
  12. ^ "Dibley's Farewell is ratings hit". BBC News. 2 January 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  13. ^ "Weekly Viewing Summary. W.e 26/08/07". barb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  14. ^ ""Dawn": Victoria Wood/Dawn French sketch: Comic Relief 1995". YouTube. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  15. ^ Mitchell, Bea (20 April 2016). "Dawn French pays moving tribute to Victoria Wood following her death". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  16. ^ "BBC – Comedy – Ted and Alice". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Catherine Tate profile". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  18. ^ Guardian Staff (23 October 2002). "Wild West". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  19. ^ "BBC One – Jam and Jerusalem". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Model Moss joins Little Britain". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  21. ^ "Agatha Christie's Marple – S2 – Episode 1: Sleeping Murder". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Lark Rise To Candleford" (Press release). BBC. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  23. ^ Frost, Vicky (9 March 2012). "Have you been watching … Roger & Val Have Just Got In?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Sky TV". sky1.sky.com.
  25. ^ "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media". consent.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ "Dawn French proves a hit with Superstar viewers on Twitter". Metro. 15 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Comedian Dawn French to be judge on Channel Nine revamped Australia's Got Talent series". NEWS.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  28. ^ "Delicious". Sky. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  29. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Dawn French makes shady joke about Jennifer Saunders". Metro. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Dawn French takes Potter role". BBC News. 10 April 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  31. ^ "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". Digital Spy. 11 December 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  32. ^ Billington, Michael (24 March 2001). "Theatre review: A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  33. ^ "My Brilliant Divorce with Dawn French at Apollo from 14 Feb 03". London Theatre Guide. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Smaller". London Theatre Guide. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Dawn French to make opera debut". BBC News. 19 December 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  36. ^ Hall, George (20 May 2010). "La Fille du Régiment | Opera review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  37. ^ "Jack and the Beanstalk review – no expense spared for giant all-star entertainment". The Guardian. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  38. ^ "Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes". ABC iview. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  39. ^ “Age-ulator app” Archived 18 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on iPhone 6plus 22 October 2014
  40. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Dawn French announces a second leg of her UK tour : News 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  41. ^ Brown, Kirsty (2 December 2022). "Dawn French brings 2023 tour to Aberdeen's Music Hall". Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  42. ^ "The hard sell". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  43. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (30 August 2007). "Dawn French dropped from chocolate ads". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  44. ^ "M&S GEARS UP FOR A REMARKABLE CHRISTMAS AS THE RETAILER LAUNCHES ITS FOOD AND CLOTHING CAMPAIGNS FOR 2021". M&S. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  45. ^ "M&S Christmas Food Ad Has Landed…And Stars Legendary Duo French & Saunders". M&S. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  46. ^ a b "Dawn French moves to Cornwall to die". The Times. UK. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  47. ^ "Dawn French's £1.5m memoirs". The Times. UK. Retrieved 4 April 2007.[dead link‍]
  48. ^ "Me. You. A Diary by Dawn French". penguin.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  49. ^ French, Dawn (23 June 2011). A Tiny Bit Marvellous. Retrieved 12 April 2020 – via penguin.co.uk.
  50. ^ French, Dawn. "Oh Dear Silvia". penguin.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  51. ^ French, Dawn (2 December 2019). According to Yes. Retrieved 12 April 2020 – via penguin.co.uk.
  52. ^ "Bananarama and Lananeeneenoonoo – Help". simplyeighties.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  53. ^ Sinclair, David (1952–) (2004). Wannabe : how the Spice Girls reinvented pop fame. London: Omnibus. ISBN 0-7119-8643-6. OCLC 64883763.
  54. ^ "Dawn French and Lenny Henry – Timeline – Mix-d: Museum".
  55. ^ a b c "Dawn French: The French connection". The Independent (Interview). Interviewed by Brian Viner. 31 March 2002. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  56. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (14 February 2010). "Parties in pre-election battle to sign up stars". The Guardian. London, UK.
  57. ^ Sawyer, Miranda (25 October 2020). "Dawn French: 'I feel genuine grief about what is going on in the arts'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  58. ^ "Lenny Henry and Dawn French split". BBC. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  59. ^ a b "Comedian Dawn French marries for second time". BBC Online. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  60. ^ "Dawn French sells her Fowey mansion but is staying in Cornwall". 11 May 2021.
  61. ^ "Dawn French named as Falmouth University chancellor". BBC News – Cornwall. 23 September 2014.
  62. ^ "Dawn French talks Plymouth Argyle with football legend Arsene Wenger". Plymouth Herald. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  63. ^ "David Beckham, Dawn French named top idols". Digital Spy. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  64. ^ "Woman's Hour Power list". BBC Radio 4.
  65. ^ British Academy of Film and Television Arts Fellowship, presented on Sunday 26 April 2009, bafta.org; accessed 25 June 2014. Archived 24 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  66. ^ "Emilia Fox joins Dawn French's Delicious drama". BBC News. 4 August 2016.
  67. ^ "French and Saunders to reunite for BBC Christmas special". The Daily Telegraph. 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  68. ^ "Dawn French to host new ITV entertainment series". comedy.co.uk. 25 August 2016.
  69. ^ Singh, Anita (4 March 2020). "The Trouble with Maggie Cole, review: Dawn French's comedy drama is a curious cautionary tale against gossip – and booze". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  70. ^ "The Secret World of..." radiotimes.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  71. ^ "Stellar panel of stars confirmed for debut series of Walk The Line". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  72. ^ Richardson, Hollie; Virtue, Graeme; Harrison, Phil; Seale, Jack; Wardell, Simon (23 December 2022). "TV tonight: a favourite fairytale with a delicious twist". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  73. ^ "imagine… French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  74. ^ "Dawn French to star in new BBC sitcom Can You Keep a Secret?". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
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