Saunders wants to make a French film
DAWN French and Jennifer Saunders hope to follow up on the success of their 30th anniversary reunion with a film.
Dawn, 60, has revealed they plan to set the whole of 2019 aside to make the movie together.
She says: “Jennifer and I have a film idea that we’d like to do.
“What it really means is that she and I have got to say, ‘You know 2019, let’s just put it aside and work together and find something we want to do’.”
Speaking to Fearne Cotton on her new Happy Place podcast, released today, Dawn says taking time off when she adopted daughter Billie in 1991 led to Jennifer’s success with Absolutely Fabulous.
She and Jennifer, 59, who met at school in 1978, had studios booked to make French and Saunders programmes.
Dawn says: “We had it all booked, we were writing stuff, we had the crew booked, everything, and I said, ‘Jen, a baby has arrived’. And she said, ‘Right, go, go, I’ll do something’.”
During her adoption leave period, Jennifer then developed an idea the pair had worked on, which became Absolutely Fabulous.
Dawn says: “The previous year, we’d done a sketch of a mother and daughter that we’d enjoyed and she was particularly good at.
“It was one of the longest sketches we’d ever done because we enjoyed it so much. She said, ‘I’ll take that sketch and make that into a sitcom’.
“So, she was covering for me like a good sister. But then she had the audacity to go and make a really good show without me, so that was very selfish!
“I was at home having my dream come true, which was this baby arriving in my life, but also having to witness her being rather good on her own.”
The comedy double act have embarked on several tours together, and written sitcoms, including Let Them Eat Cake.
Their 30th anniversary special, 300 Years of French and Saunders, aired on the BBC over Christmas. Robin Williams in film role
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