The very first episode of the light entertainment variety show starring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, with special guest Alison Moyet performing "Ordinary Girl". Unpaid intern Dawn plots to seize the limelight. In sketches, Steve Rider has the latest in the Sports Report, and Dawn's A-ha pencil case has been stolen at school.
French and Saunders try their best to 'star' as extras in an aeroplane TV commercial and special guest Roy Castle performs a song. Jennifer tries to carry off a series of circus tricks to no avail. Others sketches include parodies of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and The Bangles, and the first appearance of the extras.
Dawn and Jennifer reach for the padding and prosthetics as the infamous Fat Men make their first appearance on the spoof variety show. Jennifer mistakes the week's special guest, Julie T. Wallace, for Julie Walters.
With poor ratings threatening their show, Dawn and Jennifer resort to extreme measures and hunt down BBC controller Michael Grade. Sketches include the Menopazzi Sisters and a parody of police procedurals.
The show must go on when industrial action and a walk out by Betty Marsden's dance troupe threatens to cause chaos. Musical guest: Jools Holland
The curtains come down on the first series of French and Saunders' spoof entertainment show with special guest Joan Armatrading. Musical guest: Joan Armatrading performing "Killing Time".
The talented comic duo return for a second series with Dawn handing out some muddled contraceptive advice to Jennifer. Musical guest: Squeeze performing "853-5937"
The Fat Men get somewhat over-excited while watching the Miss World contest on TV, and there's a sparse audience at a Kilroy spoof. Musical guest: Toyah performing "Because the Night"
The comic duo uncork one of their Hollywood send-ups as a rather senile Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers pay tribute to Fred Astaire. Musical guest: Kirsty MacColl performing "Trains and Boats and Planes".
Dawn and Jennifer attempt to learn new languages, and launch a London tour with Raw Sex; schoolgirls take a field trip; a parody of the Pet Shop Boys; Pear Tree Farm supplies a poorly trained cat for a cat food advert.
Dawn and Jennifer undertake a Journey to the Center of the Earth-style exploration of a cave. Other sketches include inactive teenage athletes, a woman who claims to be Elvis' ex-mistress, and a neurotic housewife. Musical guest: The Proclaimers performing "Make My Heart Fly".
Dawn and Jennifer round off the series with more fantastic sketches and a medley of hilarious silver screen send-ups. Jennifer visits Dr. French for a nose job. Other sketches include a parody of Jane Seymour, the extras meeting June Whitfield, and a string of Hollywood parodies. Musical guest: Lulu performing "The Man Who Sold the World". Additional music: Raw Sex performing "Mambo Italiano"; French and Saunders performing "The Way We Were".
The hills are alive with the sound of French and Saunders as Dawn and Jennifer parody The Sound of Music. With special guest Jerry Hall. Other sketches include parodies of ABBA and Sonia, and the first appearance of Pear Tree Farm. Musical guest: Kirsty MacColl performing "Fifteen Minutes".
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders pay tribute to the American thriller Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Other sketches include a parody of Bros and two hapless magazine editors. Musical guests: Kirsty MacColl and Raw Sex performing "Somethin' Stupid".
French and Saunders with guests including Lynn Faulds Wood and Maggie Philbin perform the sketches 'The Exorcist', 'Girl Bikers', and 'Publishers'. Musical guest: Kirsty MacColl performing "Ride".
French and Saunders have Gone with the Wind with Jennifer as Scarlett and Dawn as Mammy. Musical guest: Kirsty MacColl performing "Don't Come the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim!"
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders develop Dangerous Liaisons with more outrageous parody. With special guest Joan Bakewell. Other parodies include Birds of a Feather, Tanita Tikaram, and The Factory.
Jennifer's Marilyn Monroe and Dawn's Jane Russell spell it out with an outrageous rendition of Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. Ken and Duane imagine suing the publisher of an "easy" sheet music book; and "Modern Mother and Daughter", the basis for Absolutely Fabulous. Musical guest: Kirsty MacColl performing "Still Life".
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders round off their series with more comedy sketches and special guest Jane Asher. Dawn and Jennifer start a casting agency but manage to insult all of their clients. Musical guest: Sarah Walker performing "I Should Be So Lucky".
Featuring a memorable reenactment of the film 'Misery' and an exclusive performance by Dickens Daughters.
Dawn and Jennifer pay homage to The Silence of the Lambs, and there's a unique appearance by The Mamas and Papas.
French and Saunders pay homage to Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman, and also pay tribute to the rock band Guns N' Roses.
In Bed with French and Saunders reveals what goes on backstage for two familiar Madonnas.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders pay comic tribute to Sigourney Weaver in the film Aliens.
French and Saunders pay their own comic tribute to the serial House of Eliott and there are comic takes on Pan's People, Gladiators and the royal family.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders pay comic homage to Thelma and Louise. They are also joined by Royal Ballet star Darcey Bussell.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders return with a spoof of Baywatch and Helen Mirren desperately trying to reinvent herself.
Skits and sketches from Dawn and Jennifer including a parody of Bjork and their unique version of Braveheart.
Dawn and Jennifer present a parody of Federico Fellini's movies.
More comedy sketches from Dawn and Jennifer, with special guests the Krankies, Patsy Kensit, Patrick Barlow and Kate Moss.
More skits and sketches from Dawn and Jennifer, including a spoof of Pulp Fiction.
Skits and sketches from Dawn and Jennifer, featuring a spoof of Western The Quick and the Dead, guest starring Lenny Henry.
Skits and sketches, including a spoof of Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. Kate Moss guest stars.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders go behind the scenes at the BBC, with sketches featuring old favourites, new characters and film parodies. Dawn and Jennifer's first day at their new office and they meet their producer. Sketches include Dawn's unusual medical check-up and an homage to the film Cold Mountain.
This week, still struggling to come up with ideas, French & Saunders have to meet with the controller of BBC One (Eve Pollard). Plus they pay tribute to Cher through the ages and Catherine Zeta-Jones is in conversation
Behind the scenes in the office, Dawn is feeling ignored and wonders why she hasn't been invited to the Palace to meet the Queen. Jennifer has been invited and instead of writing scripts is practising her curtsey. Sketches include tributes to Kill Bill, Most Haunted and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
In the office, Dawn and Jennifer have to offer their ideas for new programmes to the Controller of BBC ONE. Sketches include a tribute to Madonna and Chris Martin's Mum.
Despite having a new series to write, Dawn French is preoccupied with the fact she has been invited to go on Fit Farm but doesn't really know why. She also fulfills her dream of singing on Top Of The Pops with Anastasia, and the movie Troy gets a make-over, with Jennifer Saunders as Brad Pitt's Achilles and Dawn as the ethereal Helen.
Episode one of the new series starts filming. Dawn and Jennifer delay production, through a combination of laziness and constantly getting lost, but meet with an allegedly ill teenager and his mother. Sketches include retirees who move to Florida, Dawn babysitting for a giant, and Chris Martin's mum.
Episode of Imagine..., where Alan Yentob gets close up with those shaping today's cultural world. This episode profiles the UK’s most successful double act of the last 40 years, French & Saunders, exploring a brand of comedy based on satire, silliness and, above all, friendship.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders star in a Christmas special. Featuring Kathy Burke, Alison Moyet and Paula Yates.
Dawn and Jennifer come together for an evening of fun with real life impersonations of Barbara Cartland and Marlene Dietrich.
Seasonal special starring Dawn and Jennifer and their guests including Adrian Edmondson, Joanna Lumley and The Spice Girls.
A seasonal special from French and Saunders features an acting masterclass and a murder investigation.
Our contessas of comedy didn't disappoint with this year's Christmas Special. Their movie spoofs are already the stuff of legend but their 'Star Wars' spectacular, subtitled 'The Phantom Millennium', was surely another classic. Jennifer Saunders did an uncanny riposte of Qui-Gon Jinn while Dawn French became Toby Jugs Kenobi. Then there was a fantastic Martine McCutcheon send-up by French, while Jennifer cleverly aped the crazed Melanie C (Sporty Spice). The other sketches which punctuated the show featured French & Saunders' customary surreal living room chat and Dawn as a stroppy 'Diana Ross' aeroplane passenger to Jennifer's airport security officer. But the star of this show was always the movie send-up which with French & Saunders' acute observations, fantastic hair and make-up, surprisingly good special effects (did you check those lightsabres?) and a generous dollop of silliness made 'The Phantom Millennium' a treasure.
Armed with ring and staff, French & Saunders deliver a full complement of Easter funnies. Beginning with a cockle-warming reunion as Grandalf the sage-like wizard is reunited with his young hobbit friend. Some optical disillusionment later, and the quest is underway; the wizard seeks to align himself with a mysterious sorcerer who looks remarkably like Dale Winton, while the mischievous hobbit uses all his ingenuity to escape the murderous Ringwraiths.
Dawn and Jennifer house-sit for Richard and Judy, and offer a new angle on Monarch of the Glen and Tipping the Velvet.
French and Saunders skewer female excess like no one else--in a holiday special included as a bonus, French does a devastating version of Catherine Zeta-Jones giddily reveling in her success, giving a Christmas speech as the Queen of Wales. The loopiness of the best bits defies description; their rapport and timing are simply exquisite. It's a pleasure to be in their company again
Short Mama Mia skit - part 1.
Short Mama Mia skit - part 2.
Wait till you see what these funny femmes do with movies that range from A to, uh T - from "Alien" to "Thelma and Louise", plus "Misery" (watch out for the sledgehammer, dearie) and "The Silence of the Lambs". Also in French and Saunders' comedy sights are Shakespeare's England, the royal family, stuffy costume dramas, music videos and those sex-crazed dweebs who deliver the inter-office mail in a company just like yours. [US DVD Release]
Who, while watching Cold Mountain, didn't hope that French & Saunders would soon be back with a vengence? The girls are in fine form for Kill Bill and Troy as well. That still leaves plenty of time for their favorite celebrity targets. Saunders sends up the many songs and wigs of Cher, and French returns as Caterine Spartacus-Zeta-Douglas-Jones. [US DVD Release]
Gentlemen prefer blondes, but when Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders parody Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe, it's proof enough why comedy fans prefer French and Saunders. And ever wondered what the Queen has for a mid-morning snack? Of course not. But that won't stop breakfast chat-show star Dawn from hilariously reporting on this and other topics of equal importance. Stunning highlights include the meeting of the minds behind the book "Rock Stars and Their Toilets Seats", a special "Opera Classics" recording session, and outrageous look at the magazine industry with "Womanly World" and the original "Absolutely Fabulous" skit. [US DVD Release]
It's never safe to go in the water when there hilarious hotties throw on their swimsuits to join the cast of "Baywatch"... and that's just the beginning. French and Saunders puncture pretentions with sketches based on Fellini and Bergman, and mock the material girl before mopping up the floor with "Batman" and "Braveheart". [US DVD Release]
No one is safe when there ultra-funny femmes fatales parody some of Hollywood's brightest stars, including (but not limited to) Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day. There's something for everyone in this collection: prima ballerinas, naughty schoolgirls, beer-drinking louts and Bond... James Bond. [US DVD Release]
In this 2005 Chirstmas special, Dawn and Jennifer are under orders by Dr Tanya Byron, to stop being mean to celebrities. Can they resist tempation to impersonate Boy George, George Micheal, Jackie Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Elton John and Kiki Dee for just 40 minutes? Meanwhile in Albert Square, Kat really wants to talk to Alfie in 'the Vic' but The Extras keep invading the set. On Mastermind, Abigail Wilson's specialist subject is Ceramic Tea Pots. At Beckenham Folk Festival Rufus Wainwirght is upstaged by two over enthusiastic backing singers. The girls on the farm have the next best thing in reality TV - Baby Look-A-Likes Plus film spoofs of the Graduate, Chicago and Vera Drake.
Twenty years of the French and Saunders sketch show are celebrated in a selection of new and vintage sketches from the popular comedy double act. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders raid their back catalogue and present favourite sketches and new material. It's another chance to visit the country home of the Fat Men, watch Britney Spears take on Madonna and no series would be complete without the famed movie pastiches. Alan Sugar, Simon Cowell and Amy Winehouse are some of the new faces who are tackled in a fresh batch of sketches. Take a good look as it may be the last we see of the French and Saunders sketch show as we know it. [6x 30 minute episodes]
A Collection of French & Saunders Music Moments From The Past. Featuring their clasic takes on ABBA, The Poo Stripes, Bros, Cher and Madonna With Britney Spears plus Madonna with Missy Elliott and more
A Collection of French & Saunders Music Moments From The Past. Featuring their classic takes on Alanis Morissette, Bananarama (a.k.a Laneenaneenoonoo), Bono (a.k.a Bonono), Shakespears Sister (a.k.a Dickens Daughter), The Bangles, Sonia, In Bed With Madonnas and more
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders tread the boards one last time, as they wind up a comic collaboration which stretches back 30 years. With a trawl through some of their best loved characters and sketches, as well as some all new material, the comedy duo raise the roof with more examples of their uniquely bizarre brand of humour.
Collection of some of French & Saunders Movie parodies, including "Misery", "House of Idiot", "Silence of the Lambs" and "Thelma and Louise", as well as other sketches from Season 4.
Comedy duo French & Saunders return to the stage for the first time in 10 years, raising the roof with more examples of their uniquely bizarre brand of humour. Filmed live at the Bristol Hippodrome.
Compilation featuring the best sketches from the French and Saunders TV show. Includes The Bros Star Test, Popular Classics - I Should Be So Lucky, A Day in the Life of a Ballerina and The School Trip.
Mama Mia parody for Comic Relief 2009.
A compilation of all the best sketches. Includes: The Bros Star Test, Popular Classics - I Should be so Lucky, The Day in the Lifer of a Ballerina, The School Trip and House of Idiot.
Dragged up all the way from the ocean bed, national treasures Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are back together this festive season for a special 30th anniversary clip show bursting with brand new material, greatest hits, hilarious rarities, and even some never before seen footage.
Your greatest achievements (and not-so-great ones) are but playthings in the hands of Britain's best comediennes, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Just when you though it was safe to go back into the water, these mavens of mimicry board the Titanic to send up bit-budget blockbusters. Their targets: superstars, raging film directors, production shortcuts and CGI. Joanna Lumley hosts a "making-of" mockumentary with an unwavering regard for her most flattering camera angle. Back on shore, the country ladies discover some damned fine pills, and Coors sing the praises of cloning. [US DVD Release]
A compilation of French and Saunders' film parodies including The Silence of the Lambs, The Exorcist, Aliens and The Sound of Music.
A compilation of French and Saunders' film parodies including Misery, Dangerous Liaisons, Thelma and Louise and Gone With The Wind.
Revisiting the set of their groundbreaking sketch show, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders host this compilation special, picking out their favourite clips from formative female comics and exploring the impact they have had on their own work. There is discussion of the late Victoria Wood’s early standup and partnership with Julie Walters, as well as a look at Jo Brand’s misanthropic comedy, Ruby Wax’s self-effacing writing, and Miranda’s slapstick.
