Dawn French

Dawn French marries partner in secret ceremony

They've been dating for just over a year but Dawn French said she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Mark Bignell. Now that wish has come true after the couple married in an intimate - and lavish - ceremony on the Cornish coast.

Dawn French joins Australia's Got Talent

Dawn French and former Spice Girl Melanie Brown are to appear as judges on the new series of Australia's Got Talent.

Comedian, Maestro winner, Celebrity Big Brother housemate, Great British Bake Off presenter and possible future Doctor Who, Sue Perkins has somehow managed to neglect writing and starring in her very own sitcom until now.

Here she plays Sara, a vet who's too afraid to tell her parents she's gay. But as her 40th birthday approaches, Sara's loyal band of friends, which includes Nicola Walker from Spooks, have a plan to give her the courage to tell her folks.

Perhaps they could show them the spread from Tatler magazine that hailed Sue as one of Britain's coolest lesbians.

Some exciting guests are lined up for the series including Dawn French and Sue's comedy partner Mel Giedroyc. Tonight the fabulous Mark Heap drops in.

Sue Perkins has become one of the faces of BBC Two in recent years, presenting all maner of food and pop-historical programming. Now she returns to her comic roots in this self-written sitcom, starring as Sara, a successful female vet about to turn 40 - but still frightened to tell her parents (Jeff Rawle and Harriet Walter) that she's gay. Her motley gang of friends set an ultimatum: if Sara fails to reveal her sexuality within six weeks, they will. To make matters even more chaotic, they arrange for her to attend a series of sessions with an eccentric life coach.

In her acting debut, Perkins is likeably beleaguered and sardonic, while there's a strong supporting cast of Nicola Walker (Spooks, Last Tango in Halifax), Dominic Coleman (Miranda), Shelley Conn (Mistresses) and Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It, Getting On) - not to mention lots of four-legged extras. Guest stars also pop up throughout the six-part run, including June Brown, Steve Pemberton, Mark Heap, Dawn French and Perkins's Great British Bake Off co-host and original comedy partner Mel Giedroyc[/o]. Pitched somewhere between the slapstick Miranda and the sardonic Grandma's House, it's a highly promising, enjoyably daft opener.

Do you remember the day you discovered Kettle crisps? Dawn French does: it was at Kirsty MacColl's house, apparently - and amazing they were too. A revolution in fried potatoes that was up there in hers and Jennifer Saunders's list of top 10 nibbles, as shared with the nation over four daft minutes of primetime Christmas Day radio (French and Saunders, Radio 2). "I had some lovely nuts last night," giggled Saunders. Schoolgirl stuff, it's true, but French and Saunders always mined gold from the silliest, most irreverent material. And so, Dawn French dumped Simon Cowell live on air for Gary Barlow, hoping she would stop having to read Hello! magazine to keep tabs on her celebrity boyfriend. Saunders, thoroughly English in her expert self-deprecation, reeled off a list of prestigious awards her badly reviewed Spice Girl musical, Viva Forever, had won, while French gently ribbed her for her post-cancer press coverage. "You're not even brave any more!"

Best of all was the surprise kiss and tell on celebrity snoggers. Having smooched George Clooney, David Beckham and Brad Pitt over the years, French told Emma Bunton (who popped up on the Someone And Their Mum feature) that none of the world's hottest men came close to matching her real favourite: Jamie Theakston (who knew?), former children's TV presenter and Bunton's breakfast show co-host on Heart FM. But mostly it was a joy to simply listen to French and Saunders chatter in the background of my mum's busy kitchen, emitting exactly the right frequency of festive jolliness without being smug or irritating. No mean feat - you just wish they would do more shows.

People who just didn't get it weren't won over in the slightest by series two of the Kilcoyne sisters' micro-comedy. Those who appreciated the virtuoso performances of Alfred Molina and Dawn French, as a breezily eccentric middle-aged couple with a terrible shared grief, got their reward. We knew that behind their fussing and affectionate bickering was the pain of having lost a child - so when a typically funny and bittersweet storyline about Roger's previously unknown adult son ended with his grandson arriving and running gaily down the hallway, it meant a lot. It was the perfect way to end a nigh-on perfect mix of comedy and drama.

Dawn French nearly turned down Vicar of Dibley

Comedian Dawn French says she nearly turned down the starring role in hit sitcom Vicar Of Dibley because she did not think it was funny enough.

Dawn French says daughter endures 'shocking' racism

Dawn French has spoken of the "shocking" racial abuse that her family endures.

Dawn French tells how boyfriend Mark Bignell wooed her

After her shock split from Lenny Henry, Dawn French admitted she struggled in the world of dating. However, it was only when her now-boyfriend, charity executive Mark Bignell played her a Cocteau Twins song, she knew she'd found her man.