Vicar of Dibley returns for Christmas lockdown special

Dawn French will don her dog collar once again to star in a Christmas lockdown special of the hit sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.

The 63-year-old actress and comedian will record a series of three 10-minute sermons as Geraldine Granger, giving her take on life during lockdown to lift the spirits of Dibley fans over the Christmas period.

French said: “Back with the dog collar, back in Dibley and back on TV at Christmas. I couldn't be happier. God bless you.”

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Three 10-minute episodes will air weekly following repeats of classic episodes of the hit BBC sitcom, before being shown as a 30-minute compilation over the Christmas period.

The Vicar of Dibley Creator and author Richard Curtis said: “Like every village in the country, a lot has happened in Dibley this year – and Dawn has a lot to say about it.”

Geraldine will be preaching sermons to her congregation via the video chat service Zoom during lockdown, after lockdown and before another lockdown.

In the new episodes, Geraldine will receive help from Hugo Horton (James Fleet) and local primary school children as the vicar discusses “all the important topics”, including making homemade wine.

The Vicar of Dibley ran for two seasons between 1994 and 1998 and produced ten special episodes and six Comic Relief offerings.

French revived her character for a charity TV fundraiser during the first national lockdown in April this year The big night in.

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There have been some sad losses for the original cast in recent years, as Frank Pickle actor John Bluthal died in November 2018 at the age of 89.

Meanwhile, Alice Tinker star Emma Chambers died suddenly in February of that year after suffering a heart attack at the age of 53.

Roger Lloyd-Pack, who played Owen Newitt, died in 2014 at the age of 69, while Letitia Cropley actress Liz Smith, whose character died in the 1996 Easter special, died in 2016 at the age of 96.

Series one of The Vicar of Dibley can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

Watch: The Vicar of Dibley is back for 2020