French & Saunders interview

Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French discuss their own role in changing the female comedic landscape in a new documentary.

Woke culture? Or simply a change in comedy taste?

The so-called 'culture wars' wage on many battlefronts, and one of them is how 'wokeness' is targeting comedy. Ask any 'edgy' comic and they'll fume that they have to watch what they say lest they offend somebody.

Jennifer Saunders turned down an OBE

The Absolutely Fabulous star, 62, declined the offer alongside her comedy partner Dawn French because it 'didn't feel right' after her own father Robert received a CBE for his work as a Royal Air Force pilot.

Saunders is wrong: you can be woke and take a joke

Darren Lewis isn't buying the idea that Absolutely Fabulous wouldn't get made today as 'everything is so sensitive', as co-creator Jennifer Saunders said in an interview last week.

Controversy over Saunders cancel culture comments

There has, however, been some debate on social media, suggesting that Saunders comments were part of a wider conversation and the full context might not have been included.

Is comedy taking care not to offend such a bad thing?

People are more sensitive about potential offence now than ever before, that's for sure. What's less clear, beyond the default reactionary stance of most print media, is why this is fundamentally a BAD THING and MUST BE STOPPED. For despite the naysayers, this is a pretty good time for TV comedy (at least until Covid put a spanner in the production works). Nostalgia always wins out because we only remember the excellent programmes, endlessly repeated, while the present contains warts-and-all.

Jennifer Saunders hits out at woke brigade

Telly favourite Jennifer Saunders says she would not get away with making her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in today's woke era.

The comedy legend, 62, lashed out at the joyless "small-mindedness" which would face her TV classic.

Meera Syal and Jennifer Saunders give standout performances in Audible's new pod drama, spoofing life in British-controlled India. Ineffectual governor Henry arrives in a rural province, "allergic to emotions", part of an unwieldy bureaucratic structure, and unwilling to acclimatise. As well as the lines you might see coming ("can't imagine the British ever going for Indian food!"), there is plenty you might not, in this tale of blustering Brits, and Syal's Rajmata side-eyeing and sticking it to the man.

Blithe Spirit starring Jennifer Saunders returns

Jennifer Saunders will star in the West End return of Noël Coward's classic comedy Blithe Spirit, which comes to London in September.

Directed by Richard Eyre, the production was first seen at Theatre Royal Bath as part of its 2019 summer season, before a UK tour and short run of just 12 performances at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre before the country's first lockdown.

It will now return to the West End for eight weeks from 16th September at the Harold Pinter Theatre.