It's been ten years since Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders last appeared on-screen together for one of their skits. And on Monday, the comedy due have announced that they will be reuniting for a Christmas special to mark their 30th anniversary. Speaking to The Mirror, Dawn hinted that the spoof will be centred on the Emmy-winning The Handmaid's Tale and will feature sketches inspired by "unruly" reality TV series like Geordie Shore and Love Island.
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"I am shocked by how they behave," the British star told the publication. "You reckon they'd want to meet someone who would love, cherish and respect them. But instead they go out and get utterly hammered…" She added: "There's some Handmaid's Tale in there. We had fun with some of the costumes." Dawn and Jennifer, both 59, last teamed up for a sketch show to mark their 20th anniversary with A Bucket o' French and Saunders back in 2007. Over the past three decades, the duo have spoofed various films including The Silence of the Lambs and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?.
In a new interview with The Times, Dawn discussed their unique friendship. She shared: "We were always kind of sisters, looking after each other, and when the baby came along I felt very supported by her." But in a previous interview, the comedian was open about her jealously after Jennifer won awards for Absolutely Fabulous. During a Glamour Magazine podcast, Dawn revealed: "I had to step away from doing the sketch show we were in the middle of writing, we’d booked the studios and everything, to go home and be quiet and have my kid there… She goes on with Ab Fab. Ab Fab becomes huge, and so I sit and watch Jennifer just collecting many awards and bouquets."
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"She had no discernible talent whatsoever until that moment, and then she came through on the inside lane and apparently she was talented all the time," the actress continued. "I didn’t know that, I thought I was the funny one…When I saw that happening it was a huge amount of envy. Right in your belly in a place you don’t want it, and its bile-y and it tastes bad and it’s all consuming."