It's a rainy Thursday night in September and the news is full of stories about a certain male comedian that make you want to grab your daughters and hide them in a cave. But inside The London Palladium a certain female comedian is spreading proud, defiant joy. "Hello, I'm beloved 1980s roly-poly comedian Dawn French," she says by way of introduction to her one-woman show, mocking and owning the once ubiquitous sneery description of her.
Dawn has been an adored member of the British comedy elite since French & Saunders first aired in 1987, and 36 years later that adoration appears not to have waned a jot. The audience - older couples, groups of young men, pairs of young women - gasp with delight at the stories from her career and her marriage to Lenny Henry, which ended in 2010. She describes the time Ben Elton came up to her at a party and told her he was writing a play: "And I want you to be the lead," he told her. She recreates her gushing excitement before switching back to playing a bemused Ben. "I said I want Hugh to play the lead. Hugh Laurie?" Ben did later write a play for her, she adds, and then puts up the poster on the screen behind her for those who have forgotten what that 1991 West End hit was called: Silly Cow. Across the aisle, Dan Levy from Schitt's Creek and Emma Corrin of The Crown are in near hysterics.
Dawn has called her own show Dawn French Is a Huge Twat and it consists of her describing her most idiotic moments. It will be followed by her latest book, The Twat Files, which includes stories from the show and more. "Now you've seen the twat in me and maybe it will help you recognise the twat in you - and we can celebrate being huge twats together!" she says at the end, arms aloft, and the audience roars with happiness.
The next day I meet Dawn, 66, backstage at The Palladium hours before her next show, and I apologise for the giant spot on my forehead.
Denne historien er fra January 2024-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 2024-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
