It’s a little unfair to group them together for a Woman Crush Wednesday because they do have separate careers, but Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders have done such freaking hilarious and amazing work together, I can’t help myself. They met in 1978 while studying at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and they performed at comedy clubs in the early ’80s. Their French and Saunders sketch show lasted for six series and nine specials, and all the while they were performing, together and separately, in various comedies and dramas. All of these have included a surprising number of historical costumes, so I’m pleased to be able to feature these fabulous women on Frock Flicks!
Dawn French
Various characters in French and Saunders (1987-2017)
Various characters in Murder Most Horrid (1991-99)
Baker’s wife in The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)
Lisette in Let Them Eat Cake (1999)
Mrs. Crupp in David Copperfield (1999)
Fat Lady in Painting in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Janet Erskine in “Sleeping Murder,” Marple (2006)
Caroline Arless in Lark Rise to Candleford (2008-11)
Beatrix Potter in Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse (2020)
Miss Bowers in Death on the Nile (2022)
Jennifer Saunders
Various characters in French and Saunders (1987-2017)
Lady Hester Stanhope in Queen of the East (1995)
Mrs. Bluveridge in Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Colombine, Comtesse De Vache, in Let Them Eat Cake (1999)
Dowager Countess of Grantham in Comic Relief: Uptown Downstairs Abbey (2011)
Connie, Lady Keeble, in Blandings (2013-14)
The Queen (voice) in Minions (2015)
Duchess of Berwick in Lady Windermere’s Fan (2018)
Lavinia in Ghosts (2021)
Marie Van Schuyler in Death on the Nile (2022)
What are your favorite historical costume movie or TV roles with Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders?
Don’t forget Saunders’ delightful turn as 1920s lingerie connoisseur Mary Smiling in Cold Comfort Farm (1995)!
Actually, that was the awesome Joanna Lumley. :)
There was a TV series by Jim Henson called The Storyteller; and it had John Hurt narrating fairy tales. In the episode “Sapsorrow”; Saunders and French played the title character’s bad sisters, everyone in gloriously over the top 1830s fashions.
Princess Bad Sister from Far Away :)
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are two of my favorite actresses EVER, so thanks so much for this WCW!
One tiny quibble: MURDER MOST HORRID wasn’t a “miniseries,” it was four 6-episode “series” spread out between 1991 and 1999. And it was unrelated parodies of murder mysteries with Dawn French in the lead role– but not always as the murderer, most often as the person trying to solve the murder or as a bystander drawn into a murder case. And IIRC, the featured episode was the only period piece in the bunch, most being contemporary or at least late 20th century.
But a great job overall, and I laughed out loud when I saw most of the shots! Thanks again!
I adore them (and Lumley). Their physical comedy skills are so well honed–both S and F seem to delight in taking outrageous falls.
OMG, Tristan, THANK YOU for this post!! I didn’t know I needed it until now!!! YES! Hi-five. I now I want more women duos for Woman Crush Wednesday. There are soooo many funny pics here, but to me the most hysterical one is the poster for “Queen of the East” because Jennifer Saunders looks constipated! Thanks again for this post! It’s a bright spot in a so-so day!
*Trystan….
Mea culpa for misspelling your name!