French and Saunders are back together on screen to celebrate Funny Women for Gold

29 January 2021 UKTV today announces that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will reunite on screen to author a brand new special for Gold, French and Saunders: Funny Women (1x120). Filmed on the set of their classic sketch show, the much-loved duo will discover and discuss all of the crucial and unforgettable female contributions to the pantheon of comic history across the globe. From the very first trailblazers, to the acts who inspired a young French and Saunders, all the way up to todays generation of publicly adored and critically lauded stars, French and Saunders: Funny Women promises to be a warm, affectionate and illuminating celebration of women in comedy, presented as only French and Saunders could. French and Saunders: Funny Women is produced by Double Yellow Television.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders said:

Are women funny...? This is the thorny age-old question we have been chewing over since both of us were two years old and to date we still have no definitive answer. So in this programme we explore fifty thousand or so irrefutable examples to see if we can draw any blatantly predetermined conclusions...

French and Saunders: Funny Women is commissioned for UKTV by Helen Nightingale, senior commissioning editor, and ordered by Gerald Casey, Gold channel director. Richard Watsham is director of commissioning, Steve North is genre general manager for comedy and entertainment. Executive producer for Double Yellow Television is Glen Middleham and the special is directed by BAFTA winning comedy director Barbara Wiltshire.

Helen Nightingale said:

Ive always been a huge fan of French and Saunders, and to be able to bring them back together on Gold to celebrate the funny women who inspire them is a dream come true.

Gerald Casey said:

Gold viewers are absolutely passionate about comedy, so a show like this needs to have the right credentials. And who else on the planet is better placed to make it than two of our all-time comedy greats?

Glen Middleham, Double Yellow Television, said:

Its a total joy to listen to Dawn and Jennifer discuss their craft and also that of the very many funny women whove influenced them. Its an honour to make what will be a very exciting, engaging and laugh-out-loud programme with two comedy icons.

French and Saunders: Funny Women joins several other high-profile UKTV Original commissions for Gold in 2021. Dawn French and Richard Curtis will be among the cast and crew remembering The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out while Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson reprise their roles as Dial M For Middlesbrough and Murder on the Blackpool Express amateur mystery solvers Terry and Gemma for Jason Cooks brand new three-part series, Murder, They Hope.

French and Saunders: Funny Women will air on Gold later this year.

For more information, please contact:

Ben Duncan, Publicist - Ben.Duncan@uktv.co.uk

About Gold

Sky 110/810, Virgin 124, BT & TalkTalk 310 On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT, Now TV and TalkTalk

Dedicated to celebrating the best of British comedy, Gold is the nations favourite comedy channel. Much-loved comedy series Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family sit comfortably alongside a whole host of heart-warming UKTV Originals from retrospective series Saluting Dads Army, dinnerladies diaries and How The Young Ones Changed Comedy, to the feature length comedy capers Murder on the Blackpool Express, Death on the Tyne and Dial M for Middlesbrough. Plus, UKTV Original three part scripted series The Cockfields and Sandylands.

Gold remade three lost episodes of the comedy classic Dads Army marking fifty years since the episodes were first broadcast and last seen. Dads Army: The Lost Episodes was praised by critics and viewers and was one of the most-watched UKTV Originals in 2019.

The perfect tonic to make you laugh whatever the time of day, Gold tickles with universally funny shows that everyone can enjoy.

Gold.uktv.co.uk/ @goldchannel

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UKs most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the worlds leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktvpress

LINK:	https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/news/article/french-and-saunders-are-back...
	See more stories from uktv

Most recent headlines