BACK WITH A BANG

French and Saunders are all over the TV this year with four shows between them, including their first new sketches in ten years and the return of Dawn’s foodie drama Delicious

Marking 30 years of their classic sketch show, French And Saunders present some of their most memorable clips – alongside a few brand new ones

while lover returns to claim his daughter and his position in their family,’ says Dawn. ‘It’s at a time when Gina’s feeling a bit vulnerable so she looks to him for support. An interesting relationship is going to develop there. Meanwhile, Gina’s had an unpleasant experience with her father. She’s learned to live without him, so for him to return is difficult for her. And that pushes her towards James.’

Dawn says she was delighted to be reunited with Iain Glen, who appears from beyond the grave in this series when his fam- ily conjure him up in their imaginations. Despite being dead he’s also the narrator of the show; an interesting conceit used cleverly in the drama which has been written by Dan Sefton, who works as an A&E doctor when he’s not penning hit shows.

Food is often a big deal where Dawn is concerned, and she admits one of the reasons she took the job was the mountains of it on offer in Delicious. In the story Gina’s a fabulous cook and many scenes are shot in Pentillie Castle in Cornwall, which doubles as the Penrose Hotel, where real-life chefs pose as extras to make sure the kitchen looks as professional as possible. There are also scenes showing Gina cooking at home and Teresa comfort eating. It’s everywhere you look, all painstakingly put together by stylist Lisa Heathcote, who also worked on Downton Abbey.

‘One of the perks of working with food is we have tables heaving with delicious meals,’ says Dawn. ‘Unless it’s been sprayed with oil to make it shine, we can eat it. There was an amazing wedding cake covered in meringue and I nibbled bits from the back where the camera couldn’t see. When the day starts I’m thinking, “Right, what am I going to eat today?” I even squirrel things away. When we’ve finished each day we’re like gannets.’ Dawn says she also loved the idea of a show that pitched her as a seriously sensuous 60year-old against Emilia Fox’s beautiful but cold fortysomething. ‘ This show is about women: loves that come and go, temptations, mistakes,’ says Dawn. ‘And there’s no issue with me and a women in her early 40s being the centre of the show. That’s a big, bold decision. We shouldn’t even care but we do because there are those age differences, and it’s about women and it’s sensual and it’s unapologetic. It’s unique in that way.’ 300 Years Of French And Saunders, Christmas Day, 10.35pm, BBC1. Delicious, Friday, 9pm, Sky One. Grandpa’s Great Escape, New Year’s Day, 6.55pm, BBC1.

The pair as Thelma & Louise and (below) Dawn as Wonder Woman in the new show