Dawn French reportedly felt ‘humiliated’ by a sketch that marked the conclusion of the BBC’s French & Saunders
French & Saunders enjoyed tremendous success, gracing screens from 1987 all the way through to 2017.
Dawn French found herself in an uncomfortable situation during a sketch with American singer Anastacia, leading her and Jennifer Saunders to discontinue their popular comedy show.
The comedy stalwart, aged 66, and Jennifer, 65, became friends back in 1978 during their time at the Central School of Speech and Drama. This friendship flourished as they embarked on their comedy careers together.
Their joint venture, the BBC sketch show ‘French & Saunders’, became a hit, entertaining audiences from 1987 to 2017, as reported by the Mirror.
However, in 2004, the duo decided to wrap up the show after an episode featuring a sketch alongside Anastacia, now 55. Following this decision, only specials and compilation versions of the show aired for the subsequent 13 years.
In a recent BBC documentary delving into their journey, Dawn elaborated on why she felt the sketch was undermining her.
During their years on ‘French & Saunders’, the comedic pair gained a devoted following for their humorous sketches, astute social commentaries, and sharp parodies of popular films. They often shared the stage with fellow celebrities, playfully poking fun at icons such as Madonna and Britney Spears.
Dawn recounted a specific incident where dressing up in a scene to match Anastacia left her feeling “humiliated.” Reflecting on it, she shared, “I looked in the mirror and felt like, ‘This isn’t it, this isn’t how Anastacia looks.’ Instead of finding it amusing, I just felt uncomfortable. It seemed like I wasn’t in control of the humour; the joke was on me.”
The conclusion of French & Saunders marked a new chapter as both individuals pursued their own successful ventures.
In the documentary, it’s revealed that the genesis of the French & Saunders sketch show stemmed from Dawn and Jennifer’s shared boredom while living together. Jennifer reminisced, “We’d dress up as punks and ride the tube, trying to startle people. Shouting things at passersby was part of the fun.”
