The following is a list of episodes of the British sketch comedy series French and Saunders, which was first broadcast on BBC Two on 9 March 1987. The series, written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, lasted for six series and nine specials, airing a total of 48 episodes between 1987 and 2005. Several compilation episodes were also broadcast: the 1995 two-part special, "French and Saunders Go To the Movies"; the six-part 2007 series, "A Bucket o' French and Saunders", which marked the 20th anniversary of the series;[1] and "300 Years of French and Saunders", which was screened on 25 December 2017 to mark the 30th anniversary of the series.[2]
Unpaid intern Dawn plots to seize the limelight. In sketches, Steve Rider has the latest in the Sports Report, and Dawn's A-ha pencil case has been stolen at school. Guest star:Steve Rider
Jennifer tries to carry off a series of circus tricks to no avail. Sketches include parodies of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and The Bangles, and the first appearance of the extras.
With poor ratings threatening their show, Dawn and Jennifer resort to extreme measures and hunt down BBC controller Michael Grade. Sketches include the Menopazzi Sisters and a parody of police procedurals.
Madame and the Hot Hoofers walk out on the show, forcing Dawn, Jennifer, and Raw Sex to broadcast from the Blue Peter studio. Sketches include a fashion show, and schoolgirls discussing menstruation. Guest stars:Pamela Armstrong, Harry Enfield, Rik Mayall
The curtains come down on the first series of French and Saunders' spoof entertainment show with special guest Joan Armatrading. Guest star:Harriet Thorpe
The Fat Men get somewhat over-excited while watching the Miss World contest on TV, and there's a sparse audience at a Kilroy spoof. Guest star:Steve O'Donnell
Musical guest:Kirsty MacColl performing "Trains and Boats and Planes"
10
4
"Languages"
Kevin Bishop
Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders
25 March 1988 (1988-03-25)
Dawn and Jennifer attempt to learn new languages, and launch a London tour with Raw Sex; schoolgirls take a field trip; a parody of the Pet Shop Boys; Pear Tree Farm supplies a poorly trained cat for a cat food advert.
The hills are alive with the sound of French and Saunders as Dawn and Jennifer parody The Sound of Music. Other sketches include parodies of ABBA and Sonia, and the first appearance of Pear Tree Farm. Guest stars:Jerry Hall, Marie Helvin
Dawn and Jennifer's parody of Thelma & Louise becomes all too real. In other sketches, Jennifer learns her lines for a Merchant Ivory film audition, and Darcey Bussell replaces Dawn in Jennifer's new ballet.
Spoofs of Baywatch, Lynda La Plante's crime dramas, and Disney's Pocahontas; two flamboyantly gay stylists get the chance to work with Dusty Springfield.
Parodies of Batman Forever and the '60s TV series; Dawn has a Sophia Loren day; another look at Elizabethan times; the stylists return with Kate Moss; and neurotic mothers oversee a playdate.
Dawn and Jen are hired to guard Lulu in a Pulp Fiction spoof. Other sketches include a parody of Céline Dion, oneupsmanship in a doctor's waiting room, and public schoolgirls out of their element as they interview Clare Francis.
Dawn and Jennifer meet their new producer, Liza Tarbuck, and sign a contract, unknowingly locking themselves into a six-part series deal. Sketches include cam girls Jodie & Jordan discussing mortgages, and Nicole Kidman's audio commentary for Cold Turkey.
Dawn tries to find the perfect chocolate lime; the two discuss the prevalence of online porn; Eve Pollard arrives as the BBC's new Director General; Pear Tree Farm is forced to diversify their business; Catherine Zeta-Jones discusses fashion; a parody of Cher.
Liza pushes Jen and Dawn to finish their first script, while Jen prepares for an award at the palace, and Dawn is distressed by both her lack of award and Mark Lamarr's rudeness. Sketches include parodies of Kill Bill and Most Haunted, Catherine Zeta-Jones on crowns, and the stylists assisting Sandro Botticelli.
Dawn, Jennifer, and Liza pitch their ideas for new shows during the BBC's internal "offers" process, including a modernized version of Shakespeare's King Lear. Other sketches include Madonna's new children's book, Jodie and Jordan on eyeglasses, and the stylists assisting Édouard Manet.
Dawn and Jennifer struggle to demonstrate how much writing they've finished. Sketches include a spoof of Edward Scissorhands, Jodie and Jordan on peeling potatoes, British expatriates discussing Indonesia, Catherine Zeta-Jones on roundabouts, the making of Troy, and Dawn's fantasy of singing with Anastacia.
Episode one of the new series starts filming. Dawn and Jennifer delay production, through a combination of laziness and constantly getting lost, but meet with an allegedly ill teenager and his mother. Sketches include retirees who move to Florida, Dawn babysitting for a giant, and Chris Martin's mum.
Between 1995 and 2007, several compilation specials were broadcast on BBC One; first with a two-part special, consisting of highlights of sketches featuring movie parodies, then a subsequent two-part special encompassing the music parodies. This was followed by a seven-part 20th Anniversary retrospective, "A Bucket o' French and Saunders", featuring classic clips with the addition of new material, as well as a similar, stand-alone special, "300 Years of French and Saunders", which commemorated 30 years of the series.
A Bucket O' French and Saunders[1] was shown from 7 September till 5 October (the sixth episode not being shown). The series was shown as a retrospective, showing 20 years of the French and Saunders sketch show. The older material was interspersed with new sketches, which had been recorded in June 2007 at BBC Television Centre. New material included parodies of America's Next Top Model, The Apprentice, Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word, The Academy Awards (featuring a cameo appearance by Dame Helen Mirren), X Factor, Big Brother, Fame Academy and a parody of disgraced celebrities Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears.
Episode 1 sees the return of the hapless documentary presenter (Joanna Lumley), introducing the sketches.
Old Material: Who Is It?/Dawn's Entrances, The Two Fat Men, ABBA (C'est La Vie), 60s Dance, Marilyn and Jane, The Exorcist, The Extras, Britney & Madonna (Remixed), Titanic, Dawn at the Doctor, F&S Teenagers, Music montage of old clips to The Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps".
New Material:The F-Word featuring Jemima, Humpty Dumpty and Little Ted.
Due to low ratings, the run was shortened and episodes five and six were edited down together into one show, so this scheduled broadcast was cancelled. Surprisingly, none of the leftover new material (including a Doctor Who parody, their second spoof of the show and also their second never to air) made it into the following Christmas special. [citation needed]
A special thirtieth-anniversary clip show bursting with brand new material, greatest hits, hilarious rarities and even some never-before-seen footage. Reuniting for their first TV show together in ten years. With special appearances from Joanna Lumley, Lulu and one of the presenters from Spotlight South West.
Other appearances
Alison Moyet – Love Letters (promo video – F&S appearance) (1987)
Comic Relief Special (Video Only) – The Extras On Doctor Who (unaired extended sketch recorded 13 years previously for series 1 episode 6 and eventually released as a short special as part of the Doctor Who Comic Relief video compilation) (2000)
