93-511: Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with her best friend and comedy partner, Dawn French . With French, she co-wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, French and Saunders , for which they jointly received
186-526: A BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. Saunders later received acclaim in the 1990s for writing and playing her character Edina Monsoon in her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous . Jennifer Jane Saunders was born on 6 July 1958 in Sleaford , Lincolnshire , England. Her mother, Barbara Jane (née Duminy), was a biology teacher, and her father, Robert Thomas Saunders, served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He reached
279-474: A French film based on Absolutely Fabulous. In the animated film, Shrek 2 (2004), she provided the voice of the Fairy Godmother and sang the songs "The Fairy Godmother Song" and " Holding Out for a Hero ". Her part took only four days to record. The sequel broke the first Shrek ' s own box office record in the U.S in just a fortnight, and it proceeded to make $ 353 million in just three weeks in
372-572: A Rastafarian police van driver), and several musical acts, particularly from the Bad News series which was also aided by Queen guitarist Brian May , such as Def Leppard and Marillion . In 1990, the series transferred to BBC2 . By now, all the regulars (with the exception of Peter Richardson) had become more famous for their own shows, and more recurring performers such as Gary Beadle , Phil Cornwell , Steve O'Donnell , Mark Caven, Sara Stockbridge , and Doon Mackichan were brought in. Rik Mayall
465-645: A lumpectomy , chemotherapy , and radiotherapy . Saunders published her autobiography, Bonkers: My Life in Laughs , in October 2013. She is a patron for Smart Works Charity, a non-profit organisation supporting unemployed women into work through clothing and coaching. Along with Dawn French, Saunders declined an OBE in 2001. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. Saunders
558-594: A 14-minute French & Saunders sketch called "Modern Mother and Daughter". Saunders and French were going to star together, but, just as the studio had been booked, French received a long-awaited phone call confirming an adoption agency had a baby for her to adopt. Saunders proceeded to star in the comedy. The series, which she wrote and starred in as the irresponsible fashion PR agent Edina Monsoon alongside Joanna Lumley , who played Patsy Stone , brought her international acclaim and attention. The show ran for five full series, two telemovies, three special episodes, and
651-461: A BBC Three comedy set in the fictional Broadmarsh prison where she plays the cruel and work-shy governor, Margaret. The show's creator, Sharon Horgan , stated that she 'begged' Saunders to take the role, having been a fan of Saunders' previous comedy work. She also wrote the script for the Spice Girls -based jukebox musical Viva Forever! In 2013, Saunders starred as Lady Constance Keeble in
744-538: A Packet of Crisps ) and Tamer Hassan ( Layer Cake ) alongside several of the regular cast members. Four Men in a Car was notable for being the first broadcast, on either television or radio, to involve Rik Mayall since his quad bike accident. Permission was thus given by Mayall's family to show the special. Peter Richardson, who has built his career as a writer-director with the TV series Stella Street and films such as Churchill: The Hollywood Years , has not ruled out
837-495: A black comedy called If You See God, Tell Him . Edmondson played Gordon Spry, whose uncle (Briers) is paralysed and has a greatly reduced attention span. His erratic behaviour causes problems for Gordon. The series comprised four episodes, each 45 minutes long, and only broadcast once. The BBC has not repeated the series, although one episode was broadcast on BBC Four on 3 December 2007. In September 1995, Edmondson released his first (comic) novel, The Gobbler . In 1996, he played
930-514: A bomb labelled "Have a nice day", falling towards a map. In the early episodes the map was of a section of north Dorset and southern Wiltshire , centred on the town of Shaftesbury . The first episode was Five Go Mad in Dorset , a parody of the Famous Five . It was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens , who wrote most of the early episodes. Five Go Mad... drew anger from some viewers for
1023-570: A child, Edmondson lived with his family in a variety of places including Cyprus , Bahrain , and Uganda , where his father was a teacher in the British Armed Forces . In the mid-1980s, his father became the deputy headmaster at the former Drummond Middle School in Manningham in Bradford. Edmondson attended Pocklington School , East Riding of Yorkshire , from 1968 to 1975. In an interview with
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#17328767288901116-482: A damn. There was no star quality about them at all." French and Saunders would eventually come to public attention as members of the informal comedy collective The Comic Strip , part of the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s. They answered a 1980 advert in The Stage newspaper looking for female comedians to perform at The Comic Strip, which had, until that point, only had male performers. When they walked into
1209-527: A feature film over the course of twenty-four years from 1992 to 2016. The series is also known as Ab Fab and was broadcast in the United States on Comedy Central and BBC America , becoming cult viewing. Saunders has appeared on the American sitcoms Roseanne , playing Edina Monsoon in the episode " Satan, Darling ", and Friends as Andrea Waltham, the step-mother of Emily , Ross Geller 's fiancée, in
1302-436: A final six episodes in 1993. In 1998, the original team reunited and returned to Channel 4 for the first time since 1988, for a one-off special, Four Men in a Car . This was followed in 2000 by a sequel, Four Men in a Plane . After a five-and-a-half-year hiatus, another 60-minute one-off special, Sex Actually (a parody of the 2003 film Love Actually ), was made in 2005. It starred Sheridan Smith ( Two Pints of Lager and
1395-678: A greater extent, The Young Ones , Edmondson and Mayall returned to their "Coyote" dynamic in the double act the Dangerous Brothers with Edmondson as "Sir Adrian Dangerous" in Saturday Live (1985–1987). In 1983, he appeared as the lead singer "Vim Fuego" in the spoof heavy metal band called "Bad News" with his Young Ones co-stars Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer , and Peter Richardson of "Comic Strip Presents...". In 1985 Edmondson starred with his wife Jennifer Saunders in Happy Families ,
1488-505: A host of others. As of 2009, the archive of Channel 4 episodes has been broadcast on UKTV's flagship channel, Gold . In May 2010, it was announced that Gold would broadcast a 30th-anniversary documentary, preceded by the next new scripted episode of the series, Five Go to Rehab , a sequel to Five Go Mad in Dorset which featured the entire original cast (Ade Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson, as well as Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Stephen Mangan and Robbie Coltrane) and
1581-457: A limited theatrical release. They included The Strike , which won the Golden Rose of Montreux ; More Bad News , a sequel to Bad News Tour showing the band reforming after five years to play at Castle Donington ; and Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door , written by Mayall and Edmondson in the violent style of their sitcoms Filthy Rich & Catflap and Bottom , which featured Peter Cook as
1674-538: A minor role in the 2012 film Blood . Edmondson and Saunders reunited with their former Comic Strip colleagues in 2012 for a Famous Five sequel, Five Go to Rehab . It aired on 7 November on Gold . Edmondson won the 2013 BBC One cookery series of Celebrity MasterChef . In 2014, Edmondson presented Ade at Sea , a factual six-part programme for the ITV network which follows Ade in Britain . In 2014, he played DCI Warner in
1767-483: A neurotic daytime talk show host. The show ran for one series. Saunders played the eponymous character whose programme features crude headlines such as "Wife a slapper? Lie detector reveals all". Also in 2007, the final series of French & Saunders aired. A Bucket o' French & Saunders featured a compilation of old and new sketches and aired on BBC One in September 2007. It was the third show she had written in
1860-527: A place at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London on a drama teachers' course, where she met her future comedy partner, Dawn French . French and Saunders came from RAF backgrounds, and had grown up on the same base, even having had the same best friend, without ever meeting. The comic duo originally did not get on well, and as far as Saunders was concerned, French was a "cocky little upstart". The distrust
1953-628: A poll of 4,000 women. She has been nominated for and received many awards, including: The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents... , which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The core members are Adrian Edmondson , Dawn French , Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer , Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders , with appearances by Keith Allen , Robbie Coltrane , Alexei Sayle and others. Two double acts , Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall under
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#17328767288902046-568: A popular sketch comedy series for the BBC which sporadically aired until 2007, often with long gaps between series. Saunders also appeared in Amnesty International 's The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball live benefit in 1989, along with Dawn French and others. Saunders and French followed separate careers as well as irregularly maintaining their comedy sketch show. Saunders' biggest solo success has been Absolutely Fabulous , based largely on
2139-656: A psychotic contract killer (the eponymous Mr. Jolly) and Nicholas Parsons . Peter Richardson and Pete Richens only contributed one episode to the third series, allowing cast members such as Planer and Sayle to get their ideas on screen. By then, the show had proved a hit, and some big names appeared in later productions, including Leslie Phillips , Miranda Richardson , Lionel Jeffries , Nicholas Parsons , Peter Capaldi , Hugh Cornwell , Kate Bush , Richard Vernon , Ruby Wax , Graham Crowden , Paul McCartney , Ozzy Osbourne , Lemmy , Elvis Costello , and Benjamin Zephaniah (as
2232-503: A rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton, which appeared on the BBC and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family. In 1987, Edmondson reunited with Planer and Mayall to star in Filthy Rich & Catflap , a comic attack on showbiz, again written by Elton. He played "Edward Catflap", a coarse, drunken minder of light-entertainment nonentity "Richie Rich". In this show Edmondson displayed
2325-549: A sequel to the first episode, and the newly written Eddie Monsoon – A Life? , a spoof documentary on the life and times of the title character, an obscene, drunken television host (played by Adrian Edmondson). Michael White , the theatre impresario and Rocky Horror Show producer who had been brought in by Richardson as executive producer on the series, appeared in this episode as Monsoon's producer, who had been responsible for axing Eddie's television comeback show—called Back to Normal with Eddie Monsoon . The reasons given for
2418-964: A short tour of England it later transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre, London in March 2020. Two weeks into its run performances were cancelled due to the pandemic. She reprised the role in autumn 2021 for eight weeks in the West End at The Harold Pinter Theatre . In 2022, Saunders played the role of Mother Superior in Sister Act the Musical for six weeks at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith , alongside Beverley Knight as Deloris Van Cartier. In December 2023, Saunders made her pantomime debut as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at
2511-597: A total of 42 television episodes, four feature films, and one short film. Ade Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series The Young Ones (1982–1984) and Bottom (1991–1995), which he wrote together with his collaborator Rik Mayall . Edmondson also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents... series of films throughout
2604-560: A tour of Australia. While the performers gained more exposure, actors such as Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams turned up to watch. A half-hour television documentary about the Comic Strip was broadcast in 1981. Richardson approached producer Mike Bolland, the newly appointed Channel 4 youth-and-entertainment commissioning editor to propose a series of Comic Strip films for the channel. Bolland agreed to his proposal, his first commission for
2697-451: A trashy rock journalist touring with the fictional heavy metal band, Bad News. In 1985, Saunders starred in and co-wrote Girls on Top with French, Tracey Ullman , and Ruby Wax , which portrayed four eccentric women sharing a flat in London. Saunders also appeared in Ben Elton 's Happy Families where she played various members of the same family, including all four Fuddle sisters in
2790-503: A year. In 2008 and 2009, French & Saunders completed their final live tour, French & Saunders: Still Alive . Saunders appeared on the " Star in a Reasonably Priced Car " segment of BBC Two's motoring show Top Gear , posting a lap time of 1:46.1s, making her the fifth-fastest guest ever in the car that was used at that time. A self-confessed petrolhead, she has a passion for Alfa Romeos and has so far owned four. In 2011, Saunders wrote and appeared in " Uptown Downstairs Abbey ",
2883-426: Is quite bad, but the worst is that room at the top.' And, of course, nobody had been in there." The two performed together after graduation, working the festival, cabaret, and stand-up circuits. They formed a double-act called The Menopause Sisters. Saunders described the act, which involved wearing tampons in their ears, as "cringeworthy". The manager of the club where they performed recalled, "They didn't seem to give
Jennifer Saunders - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-475: The Times Educational Supplement ( TES ), he stated that he did not enjoy his education at Pocklington, and that his group of friends considered the school's printed booklet of "endless" behavioural rules to be "a personal challenge to break". Edmondson calculated that during his time at Pocklington, he received a total of 66 strokes of the cane as well as frequent slipperings . By the time he
3069-573: The BBC adaptation of Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse . In 2017, Saunders appeared on the Simpsons episode " Looking for Mr. Goodbart " as an elderly woman accompanied around by Bart . Saunders has also appeared in several films, such as In the Bleak Midwinter (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Fanny & Elvis (1999), and also made cameo appearances in the Spice Girls ' film Spice World (1997) and Absolument fabuleux (2001),
3162-569: The Comic Relief parody of the critically acclaimed historical television dramas Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs . Playing the Dowager Countess , she starred alongside Lumley, Kim Cattrall , Victoria Wood , Harry Enfield , Patrick Barlow , Dale Winton , Olivia Colman , Tim Vine , Simon Callow , Michael Gambon , and Harry Hill . In 2012, Saunders guest-starred in Dead Boss ,
3255-546: The London Palladium alongside Julian Clary , Paul Zerdin , Nigel Havers , Gary Wilmot , Rob Madge , Francis Mayli McCann and Louis Gaunt. Saunders, who grew up in nearby Acton Bridge , married Adrian Edmondson at Christ Church, Crowton , Cheshire on 11 May 1985. At the wedding were Rik Mayall and Robbie Coltrane, whom the vicar, Rev Austin Oates, much to his surprise, described as 'delightful and charming'. The reception
3348-715: The Victoria University of Manchester (now known as the University of Manchester) to study drama, where he met his future comedy partner Rik Mayall , and graduated with a 2:1 degree. Edmondson and Mayall soon became best friends and before long found work on the burgeoning alternative comedy scene. Under the name 20th Century Coyote , Edmondson and Mayall became one of the star attractions at The Comedy Store . As their popularity grew, Edmondson, Mayall and other upcoming comedians, including Nigel Planer , Peter Richardson , Alexei Sayle , and French and Saunders moved from
3441-492: The 1980s and 1990s. For two episodes of this he created the spoof heavy metal band Bad News , and for another he played his nihilistic alter-ego Eddie Monsoon, an offensive South African television star. He played the lead role in the Comic Strip 's 1985 feature film, The Supergrass . In the 2000s, Edmondson appeared in numerous TV programmes in drama roles including Jonathan Creek , Holby City , Miss Austen Regrets , as himself on Hell's Kitchen and created
3534-506: The BBC mystery series Jonathan Creek , broadcast in 2003–2004. He had a lead role playing an NHS doctor in the comedy series Doctors and Nurses first broadcast in early 2004. In Surviving Disaster , a BBC docudrama about the 1986 Chernobyl disaster , broadcast at the start of 2006, Edmondson played the role of Valery Legasov . In 2005 he appeared as a celebrity model on Star Portraits with Rolf Harris . That year, he also competed on " Comic Relief Does Fame Academy " where he made it to
3627-1003: The BBC's GLC , ...Nervous Breakdown , or Channel 4's The Hunt for Tony Blair , these were the first time clips from these episodes were aired on the channel. In May 2018, a two-hour documentary history produced by Sean Doherty aired on Gold titled How the Young Ones Changed Comedy . It combined archive footage with revelations from many of the stars involved – such as Planer, Alexei Sayle, John Lloyd , Paul Jackson, and Lise Mayer – while later comedians discussed The Young Ones ' impact on British comedy generally. The Comic Strip Presents... originally ran for three series and one special on Channel 4 from 1982 to 1988. Two series and three specials subsequently aired on BBC Two between 1990 and 1993. Since then, specials have aired sporadically on Channel 4, beginning in 1998 and most recently in 2016. The collective also created four theatrical films between 1985 and 2004. There have been
3720-642: The Canterbury Marlowe Arena pantomime during its Christmas 2009 run. In an August 2010 edition of Radio 4's Chain Reaction programme he said to Lee Mack that he had not really quit but was focusing more on music and farming. He also said that he and Mayall often spoke of a reunion when they are old men, or in fifteen years' time. Mayall appeared during Edmondson's winning performance of The Dying Swan on BBC One's Let's Dance for Comic Relief on 5 March 2011, and in September 2011, Edmondson appeared on
3813-535: The Comedy Store to The Comic Strip club. The Comic Strip soon gained a reputation as one of the most popular comedy clubs in London and soon came to the attention of Channel 4 . Edmondson and the others were commissioned to act in 6 self-contained half-hour films, using the group as comedy actors rather than stand-up performers. The series, titled The Comic Strip Presents... debuted on 2 November 1982 (the opening night of Channel 4). The first episode to be broadcast
Jennifer Saunders - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-632: The Edge of a Nervous Breakdown , Bad News Tour / More Bad News , and The Hunt for Tony Blair . For A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques , a short sequel was made and broadcast in several parts, showing the two main characters reuniting, despite the ending of the original episode; unshown scenes of the original episode were also aired for the first time. For the Bad News aspect of the documentary, Planer and Richardson dressed up as their respective characters Den Dennis and Spider Webb, recalling their time as Bad News. Some of
3999-650: The ITV series Ade in Britain that year, where he travelled to different parts of the United Kingdom in a Mini Countryman towing a small caravan, often including a performed segment from local folk singers. A second series followed in 2013. Edmondson appeared on the BBC One series That's Britain! 2011. In each episode, his task was to report as an "insider" in how a region of Britain works. A one-off special, Britain Beware , about
4092-830: The MTV awards. He also directed and appeared in "International Rescue" (1989) by Fuzzbox and appeared in the music video " Terry " (1983) by Kirsty MacColl . In 1991, Edmondson formed the Bum Notes , who were a jazz instrumental band and conceived exclusively to perform theme music for Bottom . A fan of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band , Edmondson performed vocals with them as part of their 2006 reformation and countrywide tour. He also contributed vocals and writing for their 2007 album Pour l'Amour des Chiens . Together with Maartin Allcock , Andy Dinan and Troy Donockley , Edmondson founded
4185-597: The Nile as Marie Van Schuyler alongside Dawn French , Gal Gadot and Kenneth Branagh who also directed the film. In 2018, Saunders appeared at the Vaudeville Theatre in the production of Lady Windermere's Fan as The Duchess of Berwick. In June 2019, she appeared on stage in the production of Noël Coward's play, Blithe Spirit , as eccentric clairvoyant Madam Arcati. The show first opened at Theatre Royal Bath, and after
4278-577: The Red Baron , nemesis to Mayall's character, Lord Flashheart . Edmondson played Brad Majors in the 1990 West End run of The Rocky Horror Show , alongside Tim McInnerny as Frank-N-Furter and Ed Tudor-Pole as Riff-Raff. He also appears on the soundtrack album of the production. In 1991, he teamed with his comedy partner Rik Mayall once more, this time co-writing and co-starring in their own sitcom, Bottom . Edmondson starred as "Edward Elizabeth Hitler" opposite Mayall's "Richard Richard". The series featured
4371-597: The Sunday morning cooking show Something for the Weekend and told presenter Tim Lovejoy that he and Rik Mayall were planning to reunite and make another series of Bottom , set in an old people's home. In 2011, Edmondson hosted the ITV documentary series The Dales , in which he followed a number of families who live and work in the Yorkshire Dales , including the "Yorkshire Shepherdess" Amanda Owen . He also presented
4464-591: The U.S. Her role won the People's Choice Award for the best movie villain in 2005. She voiced Miss Spink in the animated film Coraline , in which her comedy partner Dawn French voiced a character called Miss Forcible. In 2015, she voiced Queen Elizabeth II in the animated film Minions , and in 2016, she voiced Miss Nana Noodleman in the animated film Sing , reprising the role again in Sing 2 . In 2022 she starred in Death on
4557-606: The United Kingdom, being made on location in and around San José , Andalusia , Spain , using some of the same locations as A Fistful of Dollars which it spoofs. Two one-off episodes were aired on Channel 4 over Christmas 1985, reflecting the tight schedules of the group. Consuela was a French and Saunders-led pastiche of the Alfred Hitchcock film Rebecca (1940), with French's eponymous crazed housekeeper taking centre stage. The second episode, Private Enterprise ,
4650-606: The audition, they were immediately told, "You're booked. When can you start?" They became continuing members of The Comic Strip, which included Adrian Edmondson , Rik Mayall , Peter Richardson , Nigel Planer , Pete Richens , Alexei Sayle and Robbie Coltrane . The group performed at the Boulevard Theatre, above Soho's Raymond Revuebar , and gained a cult following, with visiting audience members including Dustin Hoffman , Jack Nicholson , and Robin Williams , who once joined in
4743-818: The band the Bad Shepherds in 2008, performing punk and new wave classics on traditional folk instruments. The band released three albums and first toured in 2009, playing at places such as the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival . The Bad Shepherds also headlined the first ever Looe Music Festival in 2011. They disbanded in October 2016. In 2010, he founded the Idiot Bastard Band with Simon Brint , Rowland Rivron , Neil Innes and Phill Jupitus . The Idiot Bastard Band perform original comedy songs as well as cover versions, and their shows often feature guest performers. The group continued to perform following
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#17328767288904836-484: The cancellation (e.g. "the things you said about Burt Reynolds ") are presumably the same problems that led to the real Back to Normal... being dropped by Channel 4. (The name Eddie Monsoon—a corruption of "Edmondson"—was later used by Jennifer Saunders, core member and Adrian Edmondson's wife, for her character in Absolutely Fabulous .) A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques was the first episode to be filmed outside
4929-578: The country didn't have to be sinister. Saunders wrote and starred in a comedy drama about a Women's Institute entitled Jam & Jerusalem , also known as Clatterford in the United States . The first series aired in 2006, the second in 2008, and the third in 2009 on BBC One . The show starred David Mitchell , Sally Phillips , and Sue Johnston , as well as Dawn French and Joanna Lumley . In 2007, Saunders and psychologist Tanya Byron wrote BBC Two 's The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle about
5022-448: The death of Brint in 2011. Edmondson married comedian Jennifer Saunders on 11 May 1985. They have three daughters: musician Ella , actress Beattie , and designer/stylist Freya. He is a supporter of Exeter City F.C. Edmondson's autobiography, Berserker!: An Autobiography , was published by Pan Macmillan in September 2023. In September 2023 Edmondson was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs . An extended version
5115-636: The eighth film of the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi , a casting decision made by the film's director Rian Johnson , a self-proclaimed fan of Edmondson's work in The Young Ones and Bottom . In August 2018, Edmondson voiced the character of Bunny in the English version of the French/Belgian animated film The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... . In September 2018, Edmondson featured as Sergeant Dogberry in
5208-641: The episode "Sigh No More" of Ben Elton 's Upstart Crow . From September 2018 to November 2018, Edmondson toured with Nigel Planer in a play that they wrote together called Vulcan 7 (restaged in 2023 as It's Headed Straight Towards Us ). In 2019, Edmondson appeared in EastEnders as Daniel Cook . In 1984, Edmondson formed the spoof heavy metal band Bad News as part of The Comic Strip Presents... series with Comic Strip regulars Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson . The band proved popular, and they released two singles (neither of which reached
5301-616: The episodes " The One After Ross Says Rachel " and " The One with Ross's Wedding ". Although they share no scenes, Jennifer's Absolutely Fabulous co-star June Whitfield also appeared in The One With Ross's Wedding Part Two as the Walthams' housekeeper. In 1999, she appeared alongside French in Let Them Eat Cake . I wanted to write something about the sort of community I was living in, why it works and how different it was. How life in
5394-656: The final episode of the series, Edmondson played Vyvyan one last time in the video. The same year he co-wrote the book How to be a Complete Bastard together with Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine. Edmondson has directed pop videos for "Fiesta" (1988) by the Pogues , "Prime Mover" (1987) by Zodiac Mindwarp , "Like the Weather" (1988) by 10,000 Maniacs , "Please Help the Cause Against Loneliness" (1988) by Sandie Shaw and "Hourglass" by Squeeze (1987). The latter won Best Video at
5487-424: The finale and came in 3rd place. From 2005 to 2008 he appeared as Percy "Abra" Durant in the medical drama Holby City . In 2008 he played Henry Austen in the BBC produced film Miss Austen Regrets and Vernon in the ITV sitcom Teenage Kicks . In April 2009 he appeared on the cooking show Hell's Kitchen , where he reached the final, coming second to Linda Evans . Edmondson played the role of Captain Hook in
5580-438: The history of British public information films , was hosted by Edmondson and aired on ITV on 7 May 2012. In August 2012, the BBC announced plans for a 2013 television adaptation of Edmondson and Mayall's 1997 Hooligan's Island tour, but Edmondson announced later that year that he had pulled out of the project to pursue other interests. Rik Mayall , Edmondson's long-time creative partner, died on 9 June 2014. Edmondson had
5673-471: The name 20th Century Coyote and Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson as The Outer Limits, started performing at the newly opened Comedy Store in London in 1980, alongside compere Alexei Sayle who had been resident there since the Comedy Store opened in 1979. Concurrently Richardson searched for a venue to mount a play he had produced with Michael White . He planned to run the Comic Strip late at night after
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#17328767288905766-438: The performance. By the time French and Saunders became members of The Comic Strip, French was already working as a drama teacher, while Saunders was on the dole and spending much of her time in bed. The comedy group appeared on Channel 4 's first night on air, in the first episode of The Comic Strip Presents : Five Go Mad In Dorset , broadcast on 2 November 1982. In the episodes " Bad News " and "More Bad News", Saunders plays
5859-471: The play's performances. He sourced the Raymond Revuebar in Soho , but realising it was unsuitable for a theatrical production and running out of enthusiasm for the play, he decided to continue with the idea of a cabaret night. He persuaded the double acts and Sayle to move from the Comedy Store along with Arnold Brown , an older stand-up comic who did not fit so obviously into the alternative comedy scene. Sayle again resumed his compere duties and decided
5952-530: The possibility of a whole new series of The Comic Strip Presents... featuring younger cast members. In June 2011, a casting call went out for a new hour-long episode, starring most of the original team. This was followed by an announcement that the Comic Strip was to produce a one-off special entitled The Hunt for Tony Blair , starring Stephen Mangan as Blair and Robbie Coltrane as Inspector Hutton. The one-off show included Jennifer Saunders (as Margaret Thatcher ), as well as Harry Enfield , Rik Mayall, and
6045-537: The rank of group captain , and later worked for British Aerospace . Six months after her birth, Saunders' parents moved to Cyprus . Her family moved to Camberley, and then to Melksham at the age of ten. She has three brothers: Tim, Peter, and Simon. As her father was in the armed forces during her childhood years, Saunders changed schools several times. She was educated from the age of five to 18 in boarding schools and then at St Paul's Girls' School , an independent school in west London. Her first year of secondary school
6138-418: The remaining episodes – including Edmondson's scheduled guest appearance in episode 5 – have never been shown. However, all seven episodes of ‘Hardwicke House’, including Edmondson’s appearance, can now be seen on YouTube. In 1988, Edmondson released a follow-up to How To Be A Complete Bastard called The Bastard's Book of the Worst . In 1989 he made an appearance in an episode of Blackadder Goes Forth as
6231-592: The role of Ace Face/Bellboy at the Who's performance of Quadrophenia at London's Hyde Park . A video game called Animal , featuring Peperami's "the animal", was released the same year, with the character being voiced by Edmondson. From 1997 to 1998 he voiced engine stoker Jones, a major character in the animated series Captain Star . In the 1998 ITV pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk , Edmondson played Jack's mother Dame Dolly alongside Neil Morrissey, Denise Van Outen, Paul Merton, Julian Clary and Julie Walters. Edmondson appeared regularly as Brendan Baxter in Series 4 of
6324-467: The role of Mike (ultimately given to Christopher Ryan ), but did not, the result of differences with the show's producer, Paul Jackson . The Comic Strip Presents... debuted on 2 November 1982, the opening night of Channel 4. Each episode was prefixed by an animated lead-in consisting of the words "The Comic Strip Presents" accompanied by a soundtrack consisting of a drum machine and a Farfisa organ rendition of " Quando quando quando ", together with
6417-403: The running order, with Richardson having behind-the-scenes control. Richardson put out an advert for female performers which was answered by French and Saunders . Richardson prompted members to sign a contract to signify their attachment to the group. The Comic Strip opened at the Revuebar's Boulevard Theatre on 7 October 1980 and ran until 1981, when the troupe went on a national tour and then
6510-440: The same slapstick characteristics as Vyvyan in The Young Ones but was closer in personality to his later character "Eddie Hitler" in Bottom . The show was cancelled after one series. Edmondson was also slated to make a guest appearance along Mayall in the fifth episode of the ITV sitcom Hardwicke House . Due to the adverse reaction of both press and viewers, however, ITV withdrew the series after showing only two episodes and
6603-434: The sitcom Teenage Kicks . Edmondson performed and wrote for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (2006-2007). In 2008 he formed a folk punk band, the Bad Shepherds , singing and playing mandola and mandolin . In 2011, he presented a series of shows for ITV : The Dales , which focused on people working in the Yorkshire Dales , and Ade in Britain in which he undertook a tour of numerous places in Britain. In 2013, Edmondson
6696-459: The six-episode BBC situation comedy . Saunders starred in a Comic Strip film called The Supergrass , a parody of slick 1980s police dramas, directed by Peter Richardson. Saunders played Meryl Streep playing Arthur Scargill 's wife in Strike , a Comic Strip spoof on the 1984 miners' strike . She appeared twice as a guest on The Young Ones . In 1987, she and French created French and Saunders ,
6789-678: The slapstick, crude humour for which the pair had become famous but with more in-depth character analysis. Edmondson played Estragon to Mayall's Vladimir in Samuel Beckett 's play Waiting for Godot in the West End , in a production that opened at the Queen's Theatre on 30 September 1991. Bottom became very popular, but it was criticised for its often vulgar humour. The show was also turned into five UK stage tours (1993, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2003). In 1993, Edmondson starred alongside Richard Briers in
6882-466: The station and Jeremy Isaacs quickly approved the budget. Richardson negotiated a deal with the channel for six self-contained half-hour films , using the group as actors rather than standup performers. Almost simultaneously, the BBC signed Edmondson, Mayall, Planer, and Sayle to star in The Young Ones , a sitcom in the same anarchic style as the Comic Strip. Richardson was initially to have played
6975-421: The telling of the Bad News story was real, due to their real-life signing to EMI; and some fictional, such as the scenes from More Bad News detailing the recording of their debut album . A lot of the original cast were interviewed for the documentary, alongside other people involved with the series at some point such as James Buckley and Stephen Mangan. As Gold, in its current format at least, has never screened
7068-450: The three-part mini-series Prey . He played the role of Gordon in the 2013 Chichester Festival Theatre production of Neville's Island. In 2014, he reprised the role for the show's West End run. In 2015, Edmondson voiced Stanley the Dachshund in adverts for health and life insurance company Vitality. In 2016, Edmondson took part in episode 4 of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off and won
7161-718: The title of Star Baker. From 2 November to 3 December 2016 Edmondson starred in an adaptation of William Leith's bestseller Bits Of Me Are Falling Apart at the Soho Theatre , London . Edmondson's children's book Tilly and the Time Machine was published on 4 May 2017. From November 2017 into 2018, Edmondson played the character of Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company 's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night . Also in 2017, Edmondson appeared as Captain Peavey in
7254-551: The top 40) and two studio albums. They also played a series of small gigs around the country, culminating in their performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in 1986. In 1986, Edmondson achieved a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart when he and his co-stars from The Young Ones teamed up with Cliff Richard to record a new version of " Living Doll " for the inaugural Comic Relief campaign. Despite having been killed off in
7347-472: The way it mercilessly satirised a children's classic, although the Enid Blyton estate had given permission for the broadcast. A meeting was called to discuss the group's future with Channel 4, after complaints from viewers. The final episode of the first series was to have been a spoof chat show called Back to Normal with Eddie Monsoon (referred to as An Evening with Eddie Monsoon by some sources). It
7440-477: Was " Five Go Mad in Dorset ", a parody of Enid Blyton 's Famous Five , which drew anger from some viewers for the way it mercilessly satirised a children's classic. Edmondson starred as one of the five. By the same time as The Comic Strip Presents... was being negotiated, the BBC signed Edmondson, Mayall, Richardson, Planer, and Sayle to star in The Young Ones , a sitcom in the same anarchic style as The Comic Strip . (Richardson later decided not to proceed and
7533-552: Was at a comprehensive school in Wiltshire. Her parents had wanted her to board at Stonar School . Her family moved to Cheshire in 1971 when her father left the RAF for Hawker Siddeley. Her headmistress at Northwich Grammar School For Girls was Janet Dines, where she played in goal for the school hockey team. After school, she worked for a year in Italy as an au pair . In 1977, Saunders received
7626-435: Was contracted to ITV 's The New Statesman , and was only able to appear in two of the BBC productions ( GLC , and the Comic Relief special Red Nose of Courage ). Richardson and Richens took over the bulk of the writing again, and Richardson also took over as director , having previously directed the two feature films, as well as The Strike . The six-part 1990 series was followed by three individual specials in 1992, and
7719-511: Was crowned the winner of Celebrity Masterchef , and from 2019 to 2020, he appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Daniel Cook . In 2022, he also played Ebenezer Scrooge in the Royal Shakespeare Company 's adaptation of A Christmas Carol . The second of four children, Adrian Charles Edmondson was born on 24 January 1957 in Bradford , West Riding of Yorkshire , to Dorothy Eileen Sturgeon (born 1930) and Fred Edmondson (1929–2014). As
7812-567: Was filmed in the first weeks of July 2012, in and around Totnes ; Richardson wrote and directed the film. The film showcased the characters thirty years on trying to recapture their youth. The film broadcast on Gold 7 November 2012. In addition, a documentary broadcast 3 November 2012, 30 Years of Comic Strip , detailed the filming and reception of several Comic Strip episodes including both original Five Go Mad episodes, The Strike and its semi-sequel GLC: The Carnage Continues , A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques , The Bullshitters / Detectives on
7905-405: Was held at Jennifer's parents. Afterwards the couple visited Saint Lucia . They have three daughters: singer-songwriter Ella Edmondson (b. 1986), actress Beattie Edmondson (b. 1987), and actress Freya Edmondson (b. 1990). They together have five grandchildren. In July 2010, Saunders announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous October, and was in remission following
7998-460: Was in sixth form, with his parents working abroad, Edmondson began to enjoy himself, "which involved lots of drinking and smoking and petty acts of vandalism ." He made some good friends at the school and had a favourite teacher, Michael Aubrey. Aubrey taught English and encouraged Edmondson to pursue drama , casting him in a number of school plays, and allowing him to take time out from other lessons to do drama. After Pocklington, Edmondson went to
8091-410: Was mutual: French considered Saunders snooty and uptight. French wanted to become a drama teacher, whereas Saunders loathed the idea and had not fully understood what the course was about; thus, she disliked French for being enthusiastic and confident about the course. Saunders was shocked to find that she was taking a course to become a teacher, as her mother had filled in the application form. Her mother
8184-405: Was never produced, as it was considered too vulgar even for the "alternative" Channel 4, and contained material that was possibly libellous. The script—which, uniquely for the Comic Strip, was written as a collaboration by the entire cast—was later published, along with the rest of the series, in book form. A second series of seven episodes followed in 1983–84, including Five Go Mad on Mescalin ,
8277-452: Was not broadcast under the Comic Strip name, partly because of the original group only Richardson appears (he is the only performer to appear in every single episode), and partly because co-star and co-writer Keith Allen did not want to be so closely associated with the group. The third series was broadcast in 1988, and some episodes had longer running times, mostly around 50 minutes. Five of the six episodes (all except Funseekers ) were given
8370-515: Was placed 93rd out of E! 's 100 Sexiest British Stars. She also came 18th for Best British Role Models for teenage girls in Britain according to Good Housekeeping Magazine . Saunders was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Exeter in July 2007. In July 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University . In 2005, Saunders was named the fourth funniest woman in Britain in
8463-449: Was replaced by Christopher Ryan .) The show revolved around the shared house where four students lived during their studies at Scumbag College. It was noted at the time of its first airing for its violent slapstick, and the series retains a cult following . During this time, Edmondson also appeared in a bank advertisement portraying a character very similar to his "Vyvyan" guise. Following the success of The Comic Strip Presents... and, to
8556-451: Was saddened when Saunders chose not to apply for an Oxbridge university education. After the initial friction experienced during drama school, French and Saunders shared a flat together. French has remarked on Saunders' messy habits when sharing the house saying: "When we lived together in Chalk Farm , she had a room at the top of the house. We got broken into and the police said, 'Well, it
8649-527: Was the tale of a music business rip-off , where Peter Richardson steals a studio recording session tape and passes the results off as his own work. The group made two feature films— The Supergrass (1985) and Eat the Rich (1987) as well as three one-off Comic Strip Presents... episodes which were the next to be screened on Channel 4. The first of these, The Bullshitters , was a parody of television spy and detective shows such as The Professionals . It
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