Dawn French (born 1957 in Wales) is a British actress, comedian and writer, best known worldwide for her double act with Jennifer Saunders in French and Saunders and for the title role in The Vicar of Dibley. She and Saunders jointly received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. She has also appeared in numerous films and voiced a character in the animated Coraline.
In January 2026, a new sitcom series Can You Keep a Secret? premiered on BBC One with Dawn French in the lead role and became one of the most successful BBC launches in recent times.
In March 2026, it was announced that Dawn French would reunite with Jennifer Saunders on stage at London's Palladium theatre in the pantomime Cinderella after seventeen years, where both would play the Ugly Sisters.
On 21 May 2026, her fifth novel titled Enough was released, for which she organized special author evenings.
