Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Saunders interview

The Ab Fab star on writing her Spice Girls musical, why she loves playing Edina and the joy of being a granny.

I felt a little uneasy as I sat down to watch Five Go to Rehab (Wednesday, G.O.L.D.), having such fond memories of the original, Five Go Mad in Dorset, which aired on Channel 4's launch night 30 years ago, The last Comic Strip offering - a "satire" on Tony Blair as a war criminal, broadcast in 2011 - did not bode well.

Such was the cultural impact of that debut Comic Strip - as well as its sequel Five Go Mad on Mescalin - that my generation grew up believing that the Enid Blyton stories had referred to "lashings of ginger beer" when in fact, as I learned from QI the other day, Blyton's phrase had been "lashings of hard-boiled eggs". Could the same team pull it off now they were in their mid-fifties? Well, I am happy to report, the answer was yes. And what was astonishing was how kind the years had been to them - even to Robbie Coltrane as the gypsy.

The conceit was that Dick, played by Ade Edmondson, hadn't moved on and was desperate to have a Famous Five reunion; had been planning it for 14 years, complete with picnics and a staged arrest involving actors dressed as policemen and baddies. But the others had grown up and now swore and said things such as "Stop being such a w-----, Dick". Tomboyish George (Dawn French) and Julian (Peter Richardson, who is actually 61) were recovering alcoholics - while shy Anne (Jennifer Saunders) was not only a strict vegetarian but also a lesbian.

While, inevitably, it lacked the shock value of the original parody, this turned out to be unexpectedly moving, such being the power of nostalgia. A good running joke was that Julian - "I hate binge drinking alone" - couldn't recall anything about their childhood adventures.

When The Comic Strip team had the idea of revisiting this comedy classic, their friends must have cautioned against it, possibly citing the train wreck that was the Carry On remake starring Julian Clary. I'm glad they ignored them. And respect to G.O.L.D. for getting it as an exclusive. But why wasn't it on Channel 4, with much fanfare?

My favourite line of the week came in The Comic Strip's 30th anniversary reunion which, for reasons known only to the hip young fools currently running its spiritual home, Channel 4, ended up on UK Gold.

Anyway, the gag in question came during the brilliantly silly Five Go To Rehab as Adrian Edmondsen's character Dick argued his drink problem wasn't as offensive as the veganism practised by Jennifer Saunders's character, Anne: 'At least alcoholics don't take their food to other people's houses and refuse to eat what's given to them like you do.' From which I can only deduce there are more vegans than alcoholics working at Channel 4. But I bet it's close.

The risks of going back were amply illustrated by Dave's recent Red Dwarf revival, which proved that undiluted inter-cast chemistry, boundless enthusiasm and deep reserves of audience goodwill can't cover for a patchy script. The same seems to be true of the Comic Strip troupe, whose recent one-off, The Hunt for Tony Blair sacrificed content for style. Tonight's second slight return suffers similarly: the Famous Five reconvene 30 years on, facing grown-up problems, even more insidious wrong-doers and a world that has left them behind. All the old gang return in their old roles, with Dawn French as George, Ade Edmondson as Dick, Jennifer Saunders as Anne and Peter Richardson playing Julian. But, having revived one of his best-loved conceits, Comic Strip overseer Richardson doesn't take it anywhere interesting. The gags are leaden and predictable, the satire mild and the mugging relentless. Poor show? Rather!

Thirty years on from the original The Comic Strip Presents... the gang has reunited for more Enid Blyton-esque larks. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson and Peter Richardson revisit the quartet of siblings who once had jolly japes on bikes but now, older but not all that wiser, find themselves beset by sat-nav woes and starring in mobile apps. Washed down with lashings of ginger beer, of course.

Five went mad in Dorset - now they're in rehab...

RadioTimes.com catches up with Peter Richardson, Ade Edmondson, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders on the set of the latest Comic Strip Presents...

Thirty years on from the first Comic Strip Presents episode - the Famous Five parody in which Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson and Timmy the dog went mad in Dorset - here's The Comic Strip Presents... Five Go to Rehab (G.O.L.D.). Dick (Edmondson) is nostalgic for those happy days cycling in the West country, camping, lashings of you-know-which fizzy drink etc, so he gets the old gang back together to pedal down memory lane. The others' hearts aren't really in it though; they've moved on, they're alcoholics, they've got other secrets, they don't want to be there.

Which rather reflects the whole experience I'm afraid. Comedy has moved on; what was once anarchic now isn't. This kind of pastiche feels tired (was it ever that funny?), certainly laboured over an hour. Someone left the top off the ginger beer, for 30 years. No fizz left; it's warm and flat.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Five Go Mad In Dorset - a brilliant hour-long satire of Enid Blyton which went out on Channel 4's opening night in 1982 - G.O.L.D. has commissioned a new Comic Strip episode featuring the original cast. Entitled Five Go to Rehab, it follows Julian (Peter Richardson), Anne (Jennifer Saunders), George (Dawn French) and Dick (Adrian Edmonson) as they reunite for one last adventure. Perhaps inevitably, it lacks the revolutionary zeal of the first outing, but is nevertheless genuinely funny.

Marking 30 years since inaugural Strip offering Five Go Mad in Dorset, Peter Richardson reunites the team in cosy Middle England. Original cast members Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson and Dawn French (and canine Timmy) star again as the Five, back together after 30 years apart, a spell that has forced four-fifths of the quintet to confront the grim reality of modern life. Following last year's weak Hunt For Tony Blair, this is a pleasing return to form - funny, thrilling and a little touching.

A documentary to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the comedy troupe and their satirical TV series The Comic Strip Presents. The show launched the careers of, among others, Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Here the actors recall the first episode - a parody of The Famous Five - and The Strike, a Hollywood version of the Arthur Scargill story. A new episode airs this week.