BBC One orders a one-off special set on her 'luxury yacht'

BBC One has ordered a one-off Dame Edna Everage special that will take place aboard her ‘luxury yacht’.

Barry Humphries’s housewife superstar will meet celebrity guests and introduce musicians in the hour-long show, which will air later this year.

Kate Philips, the BBC’s controller of entertainment commissioning, said: ‘There’s nothing like a Dame Edna and I can’t wait for this unforgettable one-off special to hit our screens.’

And in character, Dame Edna said: ‘The world needs sunshine so I am very happy to welcome you all on board. One hour on my yacht is better than a lifetime on a cruise liner.’

The commission comes despite the controversy swirling around Humphries since he called trans women ‘mutilated men’ in a 2016 interview – prompting the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to sever its ties to him last month Humphries, 85, claimed he was ‘grotesquely’ misinterpreted.

He recently announced a stage comeback for Dame Edna, six years after her supposed farewell tour, with dates booked in for Australia and US later this year.

Dame Edna's last TV show was the ITV talk show The Dame Edna Treatment  in 2007, although she has made plenty of guest appearance since, including Michael McIntyre's Big Show, Loose Women and the Ab Fab movie

The new special has the working title The Dame Edna Show.

Made by: Studio 1
Commissioned by: Kate Phillips, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning
Executive producer: Claudia Rosencrantz
Commissioning editor for the BBC: Rachel Ashdown.

Published: 15 May 2019