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Dawn French to tour... with a puppet

Plan to replace Jennifer Saunders

Dawn French wants to go on tour – but with a life-sized puppet in place of Jennifer Saunders.

French says she came up with the idea because she yearns to go back on the road, but her double-act partner of 30 years did not.

She told Smooth Radio’ Mark Goodier today: ‘I can't resist it. I don't think Jennifer wants to, so no more French and Saunders touring but I want to do a one-woman show.

‘In fact I'm planning one now and I've got to write it. I want to do it with a puppet, they are called Handspring puppets, the ones who made puppets for War Horse, serious puppets with four people operating it.’

The South African company made the puppet horses for the original stage production of the First World War story, which is now being made into a film by Steven Spielberg.

French and Saunders made their farewell tour, Still Alive, in 2008 – although they have occasionally worked together on Radio 2 since then.

French's debut novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, is currently top of the bestseller list after being released in paperback. It sold 44,978 copies in its first week in bookshops – the best opening sales of any book so far this year – thanks to the comedian's TV and radio appearances to plug it, as well as an in-store promotion at WH Smith.

Published: 7 Jul 2011