Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are reuniting for a Comic Relief sketch about The Repair Shop

Virgin Radio

8 Mar 2022, 11:53

The iconic comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are coming back together once again for a special Comic Relief sketch where they will reprise their popular characters from ‘The Extras’.

This time, the sketch will be set in The Repair Shop, and French and Saunders will be playing a pair of fame-hungry women trying to get themselves out there by appearing on the popular BBC show.

Host of The Repair Shop, Jay Blades, will also be making an appearance as he attempts to deal with the pair and their antics.

Speaking about the sketch, Blades revealed it will be a “real treat” for any fans of the show and the comedy duo.

He said: “I can’t believe the chaos that those two caused!

“We’re always surprised by what we see in the barn, but trust me, we’ve not seen anything like this before- you must watch it to see how funny it was.

“For fans of the show, it’s a real treat!”

The original show ‘The Extras’ first aired in 1987, where the duo portrayed a variety of characters in different sketches. It was a huge hit and became a springboard for French and Saunders into the world of comedy.

Ever since it ended in 2005, fans have been calling for a reunion, and now they have finally got one!

Speaking about reprising their roles, French said: “I don’t think we’ve ever said no to Comic Relief because it just is too important and because it’s from our community, and we were there right at the very beginning.

“I know that the money is spent correctly, and I know that there are projects that are ongoing that need us to be ongoing, and I wouldn’t ever want to let anyone down, so I think the more that we can do to boost and support, the better!”

Adding to that, Saunders said: “As I watched The Repair Shop, I thought all I could ever see was these characters going into The Repair Shop, or me and Dawn, pretending to mend something or imitating the characters.

“You know, I just thought, this is the show for us. Then Comic Relief said we’ve got The Repair Shop, and it was like the perfect thing, it was so perfect!”

The Red Nose Day 2022 Comic Relief special will air at 7pm on Friday 18th March and will be hosted by Alesha Dixon, David Tennant, Zoe Ball, Paddy McGuinness and Sir Lenny Henry.