Just heavenly

VICAR OF DIBLEY IS BACK... HERE’S A PEW FACTS

THANK God! Sitcom The Vicar of Dibley is making a long- awaited comeback.

As we revealed yesterday, Dawn French has signed up to reprise her role as clergywoman Geraldine Granger in the classic comedy for some special Christmas episodes.

These will see Geraldine coping with life during lockdown, and will also pay tribute to the late Emma Chambers, who played dimwitted Alice.

To celebrate, NATASHA WYNARCZYK presents 10 holy facts about the show.

The Vicar of Dibley was created

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by Richard Curtis, who wrote it alongside Paul Mayhew- Archer. They consulted a real- life female Anglican priest, Joy Carroll, to ensure the sitcom was true to life.

It is set in the fictional

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Oxfordshire village of Dibley, but was filmed in the same place as Midsomer Murders – Turville, Bucks – which was also used as the location for Foyle’s War and Marple.

There was almost a US version

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of the Vicar of Dibley made in 2007, starring Kirstie Alley. Called The Minister of Divine, it was going to be about a former ‘ wild child’ who returned to her hometown as its first female priest.

Several celebrities made cameo

4 appearances on the show, including Jeremy Paxman, Terry Wogan, Sean Bean and even Kylie Minogue, who turned up to save the day at the Dibley village fête.

Vicar Geraldine is revealed to

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be actually called Boadicea in one episode. But in the finale her full name is given as Geraldine Julie Andrews Dick van Dyke Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius Chim- Chiminey Chim- Chiminey Chim- Chim- Cheree Granger as her mum was a fan of Mary Poppins.

French nearly turned down the

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Geraldine role, as she had doubts about playing a comedic character who was such a good person. Initially, she wanted play Alice but Curtis said no.

Several members of the cast

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have died since the final episode in 2007. They are Emma Chambers, who had a heart attack at 53 in 2018, Only Fools And Horses actor Roger Lloyd- Pack, who played Owen and died aged 69 in 2014, John Bluthal, 89, who played Frank Pickle and died two years ago, and Liz Smith, 95, who starred as Letitia Cropley and died in 2016.

The Vicar of Dibley’s theme

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music is a setting of Psalm 23, which was composed by Howard Goodall. He also wrote the choral theme tune for Mr Bean. Coincidentally, a snippet of the Dibley music was in an episode of the Rowan Atkinson comedy.

The show was known for its

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closing scene, which saw Geraldine tell a joke to Alice that she was unable to get. But in one episode Alice told a joke to Geraldine, while in another Geraldine told the joke to snooty David Horton ( Gary Waldhorn) as Alice was away on honeymoon.

It has received multiple British

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Comedy Awards, two Emmys and was nominated for several BAFTAS. There is also a stage play based on the show that has toured the UK. In 2004, The Vicar of Dibley came third in a BBC poll of Britain’s Best Sitcoms. to