Dawn French

Dawn French reveals she had a secret hysterectomy

When Dawn French dramatically lost weight three years ago there was speculation she'd had a gastric band fitted or was suffering from stress after her split from Lenny Henry. But the comedian has now revealed the real reason behind her decision to shed the pounds - she needed to have a hysterectomy following a cancer scare.

Dawn French: Racists tried to burn down house

Dawn French reveals racists tried to burn down house while she and Lenny Henry slept.

Dawn French: It was like a bomb went off in our family

As she prepares for her first ever solo tour, Dawn French tells Matthew Stadlen about laughter, loss, and the new love of her life.

Why Stewart Lee is wrong about slapstick

In his TV series Comedy Vehicle Lee pours scorn on slapstick by berating Del Boy's fall through the bar for being voted number one in a Funniest TV Momentclip show: "Is that really what we've come to, Britain? Del Boy falling through a bar, and Trigger making a face?!" Significantly, many of the other top clips were also sight gags - Cleese's silly walks, Dawn French collapsing into a puddle... It seems that 80 years since the advent of sound technology we still favour the sight gag over the verbal. Why?

First in an anthology squeezed from the brains of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, with each darkly diverse tale unfolding within a different residence numbered nine. In this opener, which features Katherine Parkinson, Anne Reid and Timothy West, a country manor hosts an uncomfortable game of sardines between a family long since grown apart. A slow burner compared with the episodes that follow, but a decent introduction to a series stylistically similar to criminally disregarded Dawn French vehicle Murder Most Horrid.

Jennifer Saunders: Ab Fab the movie is happening

Saunders jokes that the film has to happen after Dawn French bet her £100,000 that it wouldn't.

The longevity of their working and personal relationship tells in the entirely natural flow of conversation between Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It's like opening the door on two schoolgirls in an unstoppable stream-of-consciousness natter and not being told to get lost. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Dawn French says: "'Tis the season to be jolly, after all, so please do join us. It would be rude and silly not to, wouldn't it?"

So, they might talk about their favourite vegetable or which celebrity is the most adept at snogging. The content is unpredictable because it is not scripted - just ideas springing forth, being nurtured and, if necessary, crushed with the force that only a mother knows how to use. Star guests are guaranteed, not the least being fellow comedian Victoria Wood.

If nothing in this show makes you laugh get a friend or relative to check that you're still alive.

10 minutes with Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Saunders on getting tattooed with Dawn French and Wikipedia.