The Vicar Of Dibley

Fleet would return to 'Vicar Of Dibley'

James Fleet, who played Hugo Horton in The Vicar Of Dibley has revealed that he would star again in the sitcom if given the chance.

The Vicar of Dibley (BBC1) is gone for good. She'll come no more. Never, never, never, never. Never mind, we get to keep Dawn French, a joyful creature and a world-class clown.

Merry Christmas was not the best Vicar of Dibley (BBC1) you ever saw but Dawn French was show-stopping as a vicar drunk in charge of a pulpit.

That apart - and it did no more than slow what had been an incredible pace - this was flawless, deceptively clever, feel-good television from start to finish. In its machine-gun delivery of funny lines and strong sight gags; its artless contrivance of a charmingly quaint small town English world; and, above all, its reliance upon ensemble acting of the very highest quality from a large cast of gifted comic actors, the Vicar of Dibley strongly raises the memory of Dad's Army. And compliments come no more lavish than that.

Meanwhile The Vicar Of Dibley (BBC1) was holding a service for animals, which offered Richard Curtis ample scope for his favourite big job jokes. The series has been, like the vicar, bumpy in bits but, on the whole, fresh and funny. And it's extremely decent of me to say so as one of Curtis's big job jokes has put me off Twiglets completely. A serious matter at Christmas when I am offered nothing else.

This even makes panto seem deep

In a recent interview, Curtis attributed the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral to the 14 rewrites he'd given the script. Unfortunately, he apparently couldn't find time to give this series even one and, if it weren't for a fine cast with some strong character actors (Liz Smith and John Bluthal could bolster up even the telephone directory), the programme would simply disintegrate.

In The Vicar Of Dibley (BBC1) the parish invited Elton John to open their fair but found they had got Reg Dwight, a musician fated to see people's faces fall ("The blues is what I sing."). Anyway this blonde turned up and everyone seemed delighted. Apparently it was Kylie Minogue. Well, I didn't know. I saw Elton John in the street once wearing pink striped pyjamas. You know where you are with Elton.

The writer is Richard Curtis (Blackadder, Four Weddings And A Funeral). When someone writes a solemn thesis on his this series influences, I will put in a strong argument for Wodehouse and a weak but obstinate one for All Gas and Gaiters.