Jennifer Saunders to write autobiography

Comic actor and writer Jennifer Saunders has announced she is working on her autobiography.

Currently untitled, the book will be published in the autumn by Viking, a division of Penguin Books.

Saunders rose to fame through the alternative comedy scene of the 1980s, and soon started appearing in TV shows such as The Comic Strip and The Young Ones alongside fellow comedians like Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson (whom she married in 1985) and her double-act partner Dawn French.

Her biggest sitcom success is Absolutely Fabulous, which was revived for special episodes across Christmas 2011 and the 2012 Olympics. Her other recent TV roles include Jam & Jerusalem, Dead Boss and Blandings. Saunders has also penned the script for new musical Viva Forever!, the West End production based on the story and music of the Spice Girls.

In the new book, Saunders is expected to chart her career from its early stages up to the present day. The multi BAFTA-winning comedian will chart a dark period in 2009 and 2010 when she underwent a rigorous course of chemotherapy to battle breast cancer, as well as having become a grandmother in August last year when the eldest of her three daughters with Edmondson gave birth to a baby boy.

Joel Rickett, who edited Clare Balding's best-selling autobiography My Animals and Other Family is to work with Saunders on the book. He says: "We're thrilled that Jennifer Saunders feels this is the moment to write her life story, and we feel so lucky that she's chosen to work with Penguin. From The Comic Strip to French & Saunders to Absolutely Fabulous, she has written and performed in dozens of the best-loved series, films and shows of the past three decades. Her characters are household names, but it's Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. She's going to write a funny, true book filled with extraordinary stories. It will reach an enormous readership."

Saunders herself adds: "As the steady march of time takes its toll on my memory and the vultures circle, I thought I should have a stab at recollecting how it all happened. At the moment it is a blur of funny stories which I shall put into a word processor and see what comes out the other end. I also owe thanks to Clare Balding for inspiration and for the introduction to Joel."

The book is expected to be released in October 2013.

Below are five French & Saunders sketches:

And here is Saunders appearing as Connie in Blandings: