Dawn French is set to make a triumphant return to the village of Dibley – this time though not as the Vicar, but as BISHOP.
Dawn, 57, will reprise her role as Geraldine Granger – one of the UK’s most famous (albeit fictional) clergywomen, in a special one-off episode for the UK charity Comic Relief.
The episode will be a celebration of the Church of England’s recent historic decision to allow women to be ordained as bishops, and will feature Geraldine vying for the role of Bishop of the district.
A source close to the production told the Mail on Sunday that: “Geraldine’s character assumes she is a shoo-in to become the Bishop of Dibley, but the joke is that there are some other very unexpected names in the frame.”
The special episode will apparently also feature several of the biggest female comedy stars as guests.
The source continued: “Some big names have been cast as the rivals but to name them would give away the joke.”
Dawn has reportedly spent the last few days filming the show in and around the BBC studios in London.
The classic British comedy series first aired over 20 years ago in 1994 and while the series has since wound up, there have been several special reunion episodes, including a 2007 episode that saw the female Vicar finally get married and another special one-off Comic Relief sketch in 2013.
A 2013 reunion special saw Dawn try on the Bishop’s hat for size!
A BBC spokesperson said: “I can confirm there’s going to be a Dibley sketch for Red Nose Day …but I can’t confirm anything further or provide any more detail at this stage.”
The news comes not long after Dawn’s close friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders announced that she would be reuniting the cast of her own show, Absolutely Fabulous, after finally completing the screenplay for a movie featuring the characters.
The special is due to air in March in the UK – to time with Red Nose Day. There’s no word yet on if and when the special will air in Australia – but we eagerly await the news!
