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{{short description|Television series}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image   = Fandscover.jpg
| caption = French (left) and Saunders (right)
| camera  = 
| runtime = Various
| creator = [[Dawn French]] <br> [[Jennifer Saunders]]
| starring = Dawn French <br>Jennifer Saunders
| country = United Kingdom
| network = [[BBC2]] (1987–1993)<br />[[BBC One]] (1994–2017)
| first_aired = {{start date|1987|3|9|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2017|12|25|df=y}}
| num_episodes = 48 (not including the compilation specials)
| num_series = 6
| list_episodes = List of French and Saunders episodes
}}
'''''French and Saunders''''' is a British [[sketch comedy]] television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake [[Dawn French]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]] that originally broadcast on [[BBC2]] from 1987 to 1993, and later on [[BBC One]] until 2017. It is also the name by which the performers are known when they appear elsewhere as a [[double act]]. The show was given one of the highest budgets in [[BBC]] history to create detailed [[Parody|spoofs]] and satires of popular culture, movies, [[celebrity|celebrities]], and art. French and Saunders continued to film holiday specials for the BBC, and both have been individually successful starring in other shows.

In a 2005 poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', the duo were voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Their last special, ''French and Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special'', aired on 27 December 2005 on [[BBC One]]. In 2006, both French and Saunders announced their sketch show was dead and that they had moved on to more age-appropriate material. Their last time performing as a duo, the ''Still Alive'' tour, ran initially until late 2008, then resumed in Australia in summer 2009. In 2009, the duo were jointly awarded the [[BAFTA Fellowship]].

==History==
===Background (1978–1987)===
[[Dawn French]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]] met in 1978 while they were studying drama at the [[Royal Central School of Speech and Drama]] and began their career by collaborating on several comedy projects. They came to prominence in the early 1980s for performing at the [[London]] [[alternative comedy]] club [[The Comedy Store, London|The Comedy Store]], which also gave its name to its television series ''[[The Comic Strip|The Comic Strip Presents...]]'' and the informal grouping of so-called "alternative comedians". French and Saunders were featured on the live comedy album of ''The Comic Strip'' recorded by comedy entrepreneur [[Martin Lewis (humorist)|Martin Lewis]] for his [[Springtime!]] label and released in 1981. The duo made their first mainstream television appearance in ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', appearing in approximately 30 episodes each and writing material for the show.

French and Saunders began to establish themselves in what was referred to as the "underground comedy" scene, along with many other prolific actors and comedians they would work with during the next twenty-plus years. In 1983, they starred in an edition of [[Channel 4]]'s series ''The Entertainers'',<ref>The TV Museum Youtube channel: a trailer for the programme, transmitted 6 October 1983, appears on their YouTube website</ref> and later went on to appear as comedy relief on the weekly music programme ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'' on the same channel, for which French received her honour of being the first person to use the word "[[oral sex|blowjob]]" on British television. In 1985, French and Saunders collaborated on the programme ''[[Girls on Top (British TV series)|Girls on Top]]'', which they once again (with Ruby Wax) wrote and starred in. Co-stars [[Tracey Ullman]] and [[Ruby Wax]] rounded out a set of four oddball roommates, and the show ran for two series. In 1986, French and Saunders made their first of many appearances on ''[[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]]'', and they signed a long-term contract with the [[BBC]].

===''French and Saunders'' (1987–2007)===
[[Image:Frenchnsaunders.jpg|thumb|right|250px|French and Saunders parodying [[James Cameron]]'s blockbuster film ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'']]
In 1987, French and Saunders created their eponymous sketch show, which lasted six series and nine specials until 2005. Compilations of previous material appeared until 2017. The show began humbly but established its own niche.

The first series was intentionally set up to look like a low-budget variety show in which the duo constantly attempted grandiose stunts and often failed miserably. A "famous" guest star would often be brought on but mistreated. Also featured during this series were a troupe of geriatric dancers called The Hot Hoofers and a [[Bongo drum|bongos]]/keyboard music duo called Raw Sex, actually Comic Strip collaborators [[Simon Brint]] and [[Rowland Rivron]] in character as stepfather and stepson Ken and Duane Bishop respectively. [[Alison Moyet]] and [[Joan Armatrading]] each appeared in one episode. The dancing and music were included to fulfil the series' mandate as a [[light entertainment]] series to include "a certain amount of variety" rather than pure comedy (as the BBC's budget for Light Entertainment was considerably higher than that of their Comedy department).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Saunders|first=Jennifer|url=https://archive.org/details/bonkersmylifeinl0000saun_m1n0|title=Bonkers: My Life in Laughs|publisher=[[Viking Press|Viking]]|year=2013|isbn=9780241001561|location=London|pages=|author-link=Jennifer Saunders}}</ref>{{Rp|95}} The show-within-a-show premise was dropped with the second series in 1988.

As the show progressed, ratings skyrocketed, eventually prompting the BBC to move it from [[BBC2]] to [[BBC1]] in 1994. French and Saunders received higher and higher budgets to create elaborate parodies of mainstream culture. These ranged anywhere from re-creations of films (e.g., ''[[Thelma & Louise]]'', ''[[Misery (film)|Misery]]'', ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', and ''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 film)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]'') to spoofs of popular music artists including [[Madonna]], [[Bananarama]], [[ABBA]] and [[The Corrs]]. Certain spoken phrases and sight gags referencing previously performed sketches (often from years before) were incorporated for loyal fans. In particular, there is a running gag suggesting French and Saunders are unable to affect accents accurately: this first appeared in their spoof of ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' when they break their character in the middle of an elaborate and expensive parody to argue about the authenticity of their [[Southern United States|Southern]] accent. Saunders goads French to try the accent by saying: "How are you?", and French responds with an interpretation sounding more like a strong Northern Irish accent. Since then, the duo often break character in the middle of elaborate sketches to do an "accent check" and repeat these lines.

The show also contained numerous [[meta reference]]s: an awareness that the viewer was watching a parody. Unlike many parodies done straightforwardly for effect, French and Saunders use the viewer's awareness of what is going on to stretch out the joke further. For example, in their parody of [[Peter Jackson]]'s fantasy film epic ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'', an encounter between [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Galadriel]] is thrown off after Saunders delivers her line: "I have passed the test, and now I will diminish, and go to the West and remain Galadriel". French responds, "You will what, sorry?", to which Saunders replies: "I will diminish... I don't understand, it's in the book!" Other characters that make a recurring appearance are the bald, fat, perverted old men ("Begging for it, she is!"); two perpetually overacting [[Extra (acting)|extras]]; and Star Pets ("What a lovely dog, Lady Fortescue: I bet he do's tricks").

The sixth and final series aired in 2004, returning to the first series' metafictional premise. In this series, the two lampooned themselves as incapable of getting any work done: Saunders later characterised it as "a fairly accurate rendition of our writing process" but asserted that, while they appeared to others to be procrastinating, they were actually generating writing ideas.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|100,103}} The series also starred [[Liza Tarbuck]] as a heavily fictionalised version of herself, forced to be the fictional show's [[Television producer|producer]] despite her actual career goal of creating and producing game shows, and [[Lorna Brown (actress)|Lorna Brown]] as the [[production assistant]], Abba. [[Maggie Steed]] appeared in two episodes as the duo's agent, Mo, based on their real agent, Maureen Vincent,<ref name=":0" /> while [[Eileen Essell]] and [[Brenda Cowling]] appeared briefly in several episodes as Abba's imagination of French and Saunders, respectively, as old women. The show ended with a final Christmas special in 2005. A compilation series, ''A Bucket o' French and Saunders'', aired in 2007.

In 2008, the pair retired the show after performing a sketch with the singer [[Anastacia]], in which French dressed in a similar outfit to the US star. French said she was left feeling "humiliated".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67760117|title=French and Saunders: How they proved that women are funny|date=27 December 2023|via=www.bbc.co.uk |quote="I looked in the mirror and I thought: 'Yes, this isn't it, this isn't what Anastacia looks like.' But instead of finding it funny, I just thought: 'Oh I don't like it.' "It just felt like I wasn't in control of the comedy. The joke was on me. I hadn't controlled it in any way."}}</ref>

===Post-show developments (2007–present)===
In Christmas 2010, French and Saunders were featured in three two-hour radio shows on BBC Radio 2. This was followed by further specials in 2011 for Easter and the Bank Holidays.

In 2020, the duo debuted a [[podcast]] titled ''French & Saunders: Titting About'' on [[Audible (service)|Audible]]. The podcast features the pair in relaxed, often nostalgic conversations about a new topic in each episode. Series 2 was released in 2021, and Series 3 in 2022. Series 4 was released in 2023.

In 2021, it was announced that [[Gold (British TV channel)|Gold]] had commissioned a new one-off special titled ''French and Saunders: Funny Women''. The special, filmed on the set of their original sketch series, features a discussion by French and Saunders and focuses on the history of women who have contributed to comedy.<ref>{{cite web| last=Cottrell| first=Imani| title=Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders to reunite for French and Saunders: Funny Women| url=https://rts.org.uk/article/dawn-french-and-jennifer-saunders-reunite-french-and-saunders-funny-women| website=rts.org.uk| date=29 January 2021| access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> It was broadcast on Gold on 17 July that year.

==Cast==
In addition to French and Saunders themselves, the sketch series featured several regular and recurring cast members, who were chosen for their "funny bones" and willingness to "be part of the gang".<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|100–101}}

Although the amount of music in the show decreased over time, Raw Sex remained regular cast members through series 4. [[Betty Marsden]] also appeared in series one as Madame, the show's choreographer. Singer [[Kirsty MacColl]] appeared in one episode of series two and five episodes of series 3, sometimes performing jointly with Raw Sex.

For series 5, [[Mel and Sue]] served as assistant writers and appeared in four of the seven episodes. In series 6, the show returned to the show-within-a-show format of series 1, with [[Liza Tarbuck]] appearing in each episode as the fictional show's producer and [[Lorna Brown (actress)|Lorna Brown]] as the [[Production assistant|PA]].

The show also featured dozens of guest stars. Notably, Saunders' ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' co-stars [[Joanna Lumley]], [[Julia Sawalha]], and [[June Whitfield]] all guest-starred as themselves, with Whitfield appearing on the show three years before the beginning of ''Ab Fab''. The spouses of the duo, [[Lenny Henry]] and [[Adrian Edmondson]], both appeared on the show respectively, while the producer, [[Jon Plowman]], made occasional uncredited cameos. Recurring ''Ab Fab'' actors [[Patrick Barlow]], [[Harriet Thorpe]], [[Helen Lederer]], and [[Kathy Burke]] also appeared, as did French's ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' co-star [[Gary Waldhorn]], and ''[[Jam & Jerusalem]]'' regulars [[Maggie Steed]], [[Rosie Cavaliero]], and [[Pauline McLynn]].

===Regular===
{| class="wikitable"
!Actor
!Role(s)
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 1
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 2
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 3
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 4
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 5
! style="width:50pt;" |Series 6
|-
|[[Dawn French]]
|Herself / Various
| colspan="6" {{cMain|Regular}}
|-
|[[Jennifer Saunders]]
|Herself / Various
| colspan="6" {{cMain|Regular}}
|-
|[[Simon Brint]]
|Ken Bishop / Various
| colspan="4" {{cMain|Regular}}
| colspan="2" {{cNone}}
|-
|[[Rowland Rivron]]
|Duane Bishop / Various
| colspan="4" {{cMain|Regular}}
| colspan="2" {{cNone}}
|-
|[[Betty Marsden]]
|Madame
| {{cMain|Regular}}
| colspan="5" {{cNone}}
|-
|[[Kirsty MacColl]]
|Herself
| {{cNone}}
| {{cGuest|Guest}}
| {{cMain|Regular}}
| colspan="3" {{cNone}}
|-
|[[Lorna Brown (actress)|Lorna Brown]]
|Abba
| colspan="5" {{cNone}}
| {{cMain|Regular}}
|-
|[[Liza Tarbuck]]
|Liza
| colspan="5" {{cNone}}
| {{cMain|Regular}}
|-
|}

===Recurring===
*[[Kevin Allen (director)|Kevin Allen]] (8 episodes, 1990–1996)
*[[Patrick Barlow]] (8 episodes, 1990–2003)
*[[Kathy Burke]] (7 episodes, 1988–1999)
*[[Sean Chapman]] (3 episodes, 1994–2002)
*Sidney Cole (4 episodes, 1993–1995)
*[[Brenda Cowling]] (5 episodes, 2004)
*[[Adrian Edmondson]] (4 episodes, 1988–2017)
*[[Eileen Essell]] (4 episodes, 2004)
*[[Mel Giedroyc]] (4 episodes, 1996)
*[[Lenny Henry]] (4 episodes, 1988–1996)
*[[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] (3 episodes, 1988–2017)
*[[Patsy Kensit]] (3 episodes, 1996)
*[[Kate Moss]] (4 episodes, 1996)
*[[Sue Perkins]] (4 episodes, 1996)
*[[Maggie Steed]] (3 episodes, 1998–2004)
*[[Harriet Thorpe]] (8 episodes, 1987–2003)
*[[Ian Tough]] (3 episodes, 1993–1996)
*[[Janette Tough]] (5 episodes, 1993–2005)
*[[Tim Wylton]] (4 episodes, 1993–2004)
*[[Jon Plowman]] (3 episodes, 2003–2017) (uncredited)
*[[Keturah Sorrell]] (5 episodes, 1987) (uncredited)

==Episodes==
{{main|List of French and Saunders episodes}}

''French and Saunders'' first broadcast on 9 March 1987 on [[BBC2]], with the first series comprising six episodes. With its popularity and high ratings, a second series commenced on 4 March 1988, followed by a Christmas special in late 1988. The third, fourth and fifth series, which broadcast from 1990 to 1996, consisting each of seven episodes, relied heavily on movie parodies, and some music parodies, alongside their own material, such as the sketch "[[Modern Mother and Daughter]]", which spawned Saunders' popular sitcom ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' in 1992. Notable films parodied on the show included ''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 film)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]'', ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'', ''[[Misery (film)|Misery]]'', ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'', ''[[Thelma & Louise]]'', ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', and ''[[Braveheart]]''. A second Christmas special was screened in 1994, between the fourth and fifth series. For the next several years, the series included only Christmas and Easter specials; in 1998, a new special, "The Making of Titanic", was broadcast at Christmas and featured a spoof on the behind-the-scenes and making of [[James Cameron]]'s 1997 film ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', with Dawn French as Jack and Jennifer Saunders as Rose. Five further specials, including spoofs on the films ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' and ''[[Love Actually]]'', were broadcast from 1999 to 2003, before the sixth and final series in 2004, and an additional Christmas special in 2005. Forty-eight episodes (not including the compilation episodes) were broadcast between 1987 and 2005.

The series additionally included compilation specials, starting in 1995 with the two-part "French and Saunders Go To the Movies", which highlighted their movie parodies from the series. A second two-part compilation special, "I Can't Believe it's Music" and "I Can't Believe it's Not Music" from 2005, showcased their classic music parodies from singers such as [[Alanis Morissette]], [[ABBA]], [[The Corrs]], [[Guns N' Roses]], and [[Björk]]. In 2007, the compilation series "A Bucket o' French and Saunders", which featured a mixture of new material and old clips, was broadcast to highlight the 20th anniversary of the series. However, this proved unpopular with viewers, and the initial seven-part series was edited to six episodes. On 25 December 2017, a new compilation special, "300 Years of French and Saunders", marked the 30th anniversary of the series, and again consisted mainly of old clips, while new material featured spoofs of ''[[Gogglebox]]'' and ''[[Keeping Up with the Kardashians]].''

==Live shows==
French and Saunders toured rarely, with UK tours in 1990 and 2000. They began what was announced as their final tour at [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool#Opera House Theatre|Blackpool Opera House]] on 29 February 2008 in the UK. The first leg of the show concluded in May 2008 before moving to Australia. The tour ended on 9 November in London. The tour included a selection of their favourite sketches and new material written specifically for the show. The tour was directed by [[Hamish McColl]], set design by Lez Brotherstone, and lighting, video and visual effects by [[Willie Williams (lighting designer)|Willie Williams]].

*'' Live 1990''
*'' Live in 2000''
*''[[French and Saunders Still Alive|French and Saunders: Still Alive! The Farewell Tour]]''

==Recurring sketches and characters==
*'''Sharon and Karen (1987–1988):''' A pair of naughty schoolgirls who call out "Miss!" every time things go wrong.
*'''The Extras (1987–2003):''' Unnamed [[Extra (acting)|extras]] who infuriate every director with their overacting, and every actor with their overfamiliarity.
*'''Jim and Jim (1987–1993):''' Also known as "The Fat Men", the "Dirty Old Men", or simply "Men". Whether at the pub, in front of the telly, or trying out for panto, they think they're God's gift to women and sexually harass any woman they meet.
*'''Teen Talkers (1987–1988):''' Two chatty teenagers who discuss changes in the facilities in a series 1 episode and contraception in a series 2 episode.
*'''White Room (1988–2005):''' Dawn and Jennifer interact in a room with white walls and bubble-wrapped furniture. Dawn knocks at the door and usually announces herself as "Dawn French, your comedy partner" or "Dawn French from teleovision", while Jennifer sits on the couch and tries to make her uncomfortable. The two sometimes impersonated celebrities or other characters within the sketch, and occasionally, it was used as a springboard to another sketch, such as a parody of ''[[Noel's House Party]]'' or Dr. [[Tanya Byron]]'s intervention.
*'' History of Dance (1988–1996):'' French and Saunders try out different dancing styles (e.g., Irish jig, flappers, 90s clubbers, disco, sock hops), but the dancing always goes wrong in the end.
*'''Jackie and Leanne (1988–1996):''' Dramatic young women obsessed with mail-order catalogues and plan for events such as holidays and weddings far in advance.
*'''Pear Tree Farm (1988–2005):''' A farm whose owner (French) repeatedly changes its line of business, always assisted by her mentally disabled, unpaid employee (Saunders), who often unintentionally reveals unpleasant truths the owner has been hiding. Initially, the farm was home to Star Pets, which supplied animals to TV and film productions; subsequent businesses included an animal crematory and a children's nursery. French's character first appeared in series 2, but the farm and Saunders' character didn't appear until series 3.
*'''Star Test (1990):''' A spoof of the [[Star Test (TV series)|show of the same name]], serving as a platform to parody the interview subjects, which included [[Sonia (singer)|Sonia]], [[Bros (British band)|Bros]], [[Wendy James]] of [[Transvision Vamp]], and [[Tanita Tikaram]].
*'''The Expert (1990–2000):''' A talk show host (Saunders) introduces Dawn as an "expert" on a subject such as the royal family or outer space, but Dawn constantly shows herself to have no knowledge in the area. The sketch appeared on TV only in series three but was revived for the 2000 live tour, wherein the show's title was "[[GMTV|PMTV]]".
*'''The Fat Women (1990–1998):''' Living in a country house, they spend their days at the races, drinking whiskey, getting severe injuries and brushing them off as minor incidents. They also insult anybody who interferes in their business.
*'''The Sound of Music (1993):''' A segment hosted by Ken and Duane, in which they briefly discussed the history of music as a lead-in to music video parodies. Segments often opened with Ken reading the lyrics to a popular song in a monotone.
*'''[[Madonna]] (1993–2005):''' Often mentioned, particularly in White Room sketches, and occasionally parodied, such as in spoofs of ''[[Madonna: Truth or Dare|In Bed with Madonna]]'', "[[Hollywood (Madonna song)|Into the Hollywood Groove]]", "[[Me Against the Music]]", and ''[[The English Roses]]''.
*'''The Stylists (1996–2004):''' Wardrobe stylist Daniel (Saunders) and hair and makeup artist Terry (French), chain-smoking, flamboyantly gay men who style celebrities (series 5) and assist the [[Old Master]]s (series 6).
*'''Olde Elizabethan Shakespearean Times (1996): '' Two unhygienic women in [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan England]] enjoy living a backward peasant way of life, whether cooking disgusting recipes using urine or gossiping about the locals at the pub.
*'''Junior and Emma (1996–1999):''' Public school girls who have been abandoned by their parents and stay at school during the holidays.
*'''Special Effects Specialists (1998–2004):''' Propsmen who excel in making the worst props ever used in such big-budget films as ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'', and ''[[Troy (film)|Troy]]''.
*'''[[Catherine Zeta-Jones]] (2003–2004):''' Always refers to herself as "Catherine [[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]-Zeta-[[Michael Douglas|Douglas]]-Jones" and usually discusses differences between her lifestyle in Wales and in Hollywood.
*'''Jodie & Jordan Solve Your Problems (2004):''' Hypersexual [[Webcam model|cam girls]] who provide advice to viewers, invariably suggesting they "shag [someone's] brains out".
*'''Mother and Daughter:''' A daughter (usually French) gets into an argument with her mother (usually Saunders), often over something insignificant.

==Lananeeneenoonoo==
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name = Lananeeneenoonoo
| image = Lananeeneenoonoo comic relief single cover.jpg
| caption = The single cover for "Help!" featuring French, Saunders, and Burke (Lananeeneenoonoo) with the real Bananarama
| image_size =
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = [[United Kingdom]]
| genre = [[Pop music|Pop]]
| years_active = 1988–1989
| label = [[London Records]]
| associated_acts = [[Bananarama]]
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members = [[Dawn French]]<br>[[Jennifer Saunders]]<br>[[Kathy Burke]]
}}
'''Lananeeneenoonoo''' was a British spoof all-girl group consisting of comedians [[Dawn French]], [[Jennifer Saunders]] and [[Kathy Burke]]. The group, and its name, was a spoof on the popular group [[Bananarama]] and was introduced during the 1988 Christmas special of ''French & Saunders'', in which Burke was a guest.

In 1989, along with Bananarama, they created a [[charity single]] called "[[Help! (song)#Bananarama version|Help!]]", to raise money for [[Comic Relief]]. It was a [[cover version]] of [[the Beatles]]' song and was released on the [[London Records]] [[record label|label]], entering the [[UK Singles Chart]] on 25 February 1989 and reaching a high of No. 3. It remained in the chart for nine weeks.

===The Sugar Lumps===
French, Saunders and Burke returned for Comic Relief in 1997 as '''the Sugar Lumps''', along with [[Llewella Gideon]] and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]], to parody [[the Spice Girls]], with whom they performed a version of [[Who Do You Think You Are (Spice Girls song)#Music video|Who Do You Think You Are]].<ref>{{Citation
| last1=Rice
| first1=Tim
| last2=Rice
| first2=Jonathan
| last3=Gambaccini
| first3=Paul
| author1-link= Tim Rice <!-- No article for Johnathan Rice; the existing article [[Johnathan Rice]] is a different person -->
| author3-link= Paul Gambaccini
| title=[[Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums]]
| publisher = [[Guinness World Records]] and Guinness Publishing
| year=1990
| location=[[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], [[Middlesex]]
| isbn=0-85112-398-8}}
</ref><ref>{{citation
| last1=Brown
| first1=Joe
| title=Girls Just Wanna Make Bucks 
| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]
| year=1989
| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1181599.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105143556/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1181599.html
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2012-11-05
| access-date = 2009-07-30}}</ref>

==Side projects and other appearances==
Saunders won international acclaim for writing and playing [[Edina Monsoon]] in her sitcom ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'', based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch "[[Modern Mother and Daughter]]". She also guest starred in the American sitcoms ''[[Roseanne]]'' and ''[[Friends]]'', and voiced the wicked Fairy Godmother in the [[DreamWorks Animation|DreamWorks animated film]] ''[[Shrek 2]]''. Saunders wrote and starred in another two BBC sitcoms ''[[Jam and Jerusalem]]'' and ''[[The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle]]''. Her other work includes being the face of [[Barclays Bank]] and [[BBC America]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

French starred as [[Geraldine Granger]] in the highly successful sitcom ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'', which received great critical acclaim. She also starred in four series of the comedy/crime show ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'', and voiced Mrs. Beaver in the [[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|film adaptation]] of [[C. S. Lewis]]' fantasy novel ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''. French starred in another BBC shows ''Jam and Jerusalem'' and ''[[Lark Rise to Candleford (TV series)|Lark Rise to Candleford]]''. For many years, French has become popular for her appearances in the [[Terry's Chocolate Orange]] adverts by saying her famous line: "It's not Terry's, it's mine!" and voiced the [[W H Smith]] and [[Tesco]] adverts.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} In 2009, French released her autobiography ''Dear Fatty'', referring to Saunders, to whom she gave the nickname "Fatty". In 2021, French starred as a little ornament fairy for a [[Marks & Spencer|M&S]] Christmas food advert along with its confectionery products character, [[Percy Pig]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parry|first=Mared|date=2021-11-04|title=New M&S Christmas advert stars Hollywood actor Tom Holland as Percy Pig|url=https://www.ok.co.uk/lifestyle/marks-and-spencer-christmas-advert-25372984|access-date=2022-01-07|website=OK! Magazine|language=en}}</ref>

===Featuring French and Saunders===
*''[[The Comic Strip Presents]]'' (1982–2012)
*''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'' (1982-1984) (appearing in the episodes "Interesting" and "[[Time (The Young Ones)|Time]]")
*''[[Happy Families (1985 TV series)|Happy Families]]'' (1985)
*''[[Girls on Top (British TV series)|Girls on Top]]'' (1985–1986)
*''[[Let Them Eat Cake (TV series)|Let Them Eat Cake]]'' (1999)
*''[[Jam & Jerusalem]]'' (2006–2009)
*[[Coraline (film)|''Coraline'']] (2009)
*''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'' (2016)
*''[[Death on the Nile (2022 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' (2022)

===Featuring French===
{{Main|Dawn French#Filmography}}
*''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'' (1991–1999)
*''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' (1994–2007)
*''[[Wild West (TV series)|Wild West]]'' (2002–2004)
*''[[Lark Rise to Candleford (TV series)|Lark Rise to Candleford]]'' (2008–2011)
*''[[Psychoville]]'' (2009–2011)
*''[[Roger and Val Have Just Got In]]'' (2010–2012)
*''[[The Wrong Mans (UK TV series)|The Wrong Mans]]'' (2013–2014)
*''[[The Trouble with Maggie Cole]]'' (2020)

===Featuring Saunders===
{{Main|Jennifer Saunders#Filmography}}
*''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' (1992–2012)
*''[[Mirrorball (TV pilot)|Mirrorball]]'' (2000)
*''[[The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle]]'' (2007)
*''[[Dead Boss]]'' (2012)
*''[[Blandings (TV series)|Blandings]]'' (2013–2014)

==Video and DVD releases==
===UK video===
*''French and Saunders: The Video'' (Best of Series 1 & 2) (1990)
*''French and Saunders Live'' (4 Front Video) (1991)
*''French and Saunders: Series 3'' (1993)
*''French and Saunders at the Movies'' (Best of Series 4) (1994)

===UK DVD===
*''French and Saunders Live'' (Universal) (2001)
*''The Best of French and Saunders'' (or ''Gentlemen Prefer French and Saunders'') (2002)
*''French and Saunders at the Movies'' (also includes the 1999 Christmas Special) (2005)
*''French and Saunders: Complete Series 1–6'' (2008)
*''French and Saunders: Still Alive'' (2008)

===USA video===
*''French and Saunders at the Movies'' (1997)
*''Gentlemen Prefer French and Saunders'' (1997)
*''French and Saunders: Ingenue Years'' (1998)
*''French and Saunders: Living in a Material World'' (1998)

===USA DVD===
*''Gentlemen Prefer French and Saunders'' (2002)
*''French and Saunders at the Movies'' (2002)
*''French and Saunders: The Ingenue Years'' (2003)
*''French and Saunders: Living in a Material World'' (2003)
*''French and Saunders on the Rocks'' (2005)
*''French and Saunders: Back with a Vengeance'' (2005)

===Australian video===
*''French and Saunders: Series 3 – Complete and Un-edited(ish) – (Part One)'' (1993)<ref>[http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=74527 Australian Board of Classification] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227151556/http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=74527 |date=27 February 2009 }}</ref>
*''French and Saunders: The Best of Series 4'' (1994)<ref>[http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=77103 Australian Board of Classification] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227151621/http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=77103 |date=27 February 2009 }}</ref>
*''French and Saunders: Series 3 – Complete and Un-edited(ish) – (Part Two)'' (1996) <ref>[http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=87979 Australian Board of Classification] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227145221/http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=87979 |date=27 February 2009 }}</ref>
*''French and Saunders: Live'' (2002)

===Australian DVD===
*''French and Saunders: Live'' (2003)
*''French and Saunders at the Movies'' (with 1999 Christmas Special) (2005)
*''The Best of French and Saunders'' (2005)
*''French and Saunders: Complete Series 1–6'' (2008)
*''French and Saunders: Still Alive – The Farewell Tour'' (2008)<ref>[http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=230115 Australian Board of Classification] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227150631/http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=french+and+saunders&sMediaFilm=1&sMediaPublications=1&sMediaGames=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=11&sDateToY=2008&record=230115 |date=27 February 2009 }}</ref>
*''French And Saunders: Series One Episodes 1–3 (Comedy Bites)'' (4 March 2010)
*''Dawn French Bundle'' (2011)

==International broadcasters==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country !! TV Network(s)
|-
|{{flagicon|Australia}} Australia || [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] (first runs) [[UK.TV]]/[[Comedy Central|The Comedy Channel]] (repeats)
|-
|{{flagicon|Canada}} Canada || [[BBC Kids#BBCK|BBCK on BBC Kids]]
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} France || [[Arte]] (first runs), [[Pink TV (France)]] (repeats)
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} Germany || [[EinsFestival]], [[Arte]]
|-
|{{flagicon|New Zealand}} New Zealand || [[UK.TV]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} Portugal || [[RTP2]] (first runs), [[BBC Prime]]/[[BBC Entertainment]] (repeats)
|-
|{{flagicon|Singapore}} Singapore || [[BBC Entertainment]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Thailand]] || [[BBC Entertainment]]
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} United States || [[BBC America]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.frenchandsaunders.com/}}
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/500435/index.html French and Saunders] at British Film Institute ''Screen Online''
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/f/frenchandsaunder_7772750.shtml French and Saunders] at the BBC
*{{IMDb title|id=0092355|title=French and Saunders}}
*{{epguides|FrenchandSaunders|French and Saunders}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090424200106/http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/french-saunders,762,BA.html French and Saunders] receive the [[BAFTA]] Fellowship

{{The Comic Strip}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:French And Saunders}}
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