Comedy legend Dawn French has a deep fondness for Australia, a result of touring here numerous times over the years. But the Vicar of Dibley star was unprepared for one Aussie celebrity she met along the way – Kyle Sandilands.
At the time, Dawn and Kyle were judges on Australia’s Got Talent season seven, which launched on the Nine Network in 2013. They were joined at the judging desk by former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and entertainer Timomatic (Tim Omaji).
“He was like a creature I’d never met before,” Dawn, 68, says of Kyle. “And somebody told me at one point, ‘You’ve been brought in to keep Kyle in his place. You’re the mum on that end of the panel and he’s the dad on that end and he can be a bad boy sometimes.’
“I thought, ‘Oh, OK. I’m not scared of Kyle.’”
Fortunately, things were cordial between Dawn and Kyle, who’s now a judge on Australian Idol. And Dawn bonded with AGT host and fellow comedian Julia Morris. The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! co-host even gave Dawn the idea for her recent stand-up show, Dawn French Is a Huge Tw*t.
“Julia and I have become very close friends,” Dawn tells TV WEEK. “And she said to me when I did my show, 30 Million Minutes, which is just about life generally, ‘Great show, but you don’t do anything about your career.’ She planted the seed.
“So, when I was doing this show (Dawn French Is a Huge Tw*t), I did say to her, ‘I think this is you. You’ve kickstarted it.’”
Dawn’s latest project is the British sitcom, Can You Keep a Secret?, in which she plays a character who falsely collects her husband’s life insurance payout.
“It is a giant fraud inside an ordinary little oddball family,” Dawn says of the comedy series.
Meanwhile, fans are always keen to see Dawn and her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders reunite on stage. Could they turn their podcast, T**ting About into a live show?
“We have been thinking about it,” Dawn says. “I’m the one that needs persuading that touring a podcast is a good idea, only because it feels like too much fun.
“I can’t quite believe we just sit on a stage and just yap. So, I just want to make sure that it’s something people would want to see.”
We can say, without hesitation, they would.
Can You Keep A Secret? premieres Sunday, March 15 on ABC and ABC iview
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