‘It won’t be pretty!’ French and Saunders to play the Ugly Sisters in Palladium panto

Comedy duo will take the stage together in the West End for the first time in 17 years in Cinderella alongside Julian Clary Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are to return to the stage together for the first time in 17 years to play the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium pantomime. “It won’t be pretty,” the popular duo predicted in an announcement on Tuesday. “We have wished to play the Ugly Sisters for so many years, it feels this is the fulfilment of a dream – a dream our hearts made.” The pair began performing together almost 50 years ago after meeting as students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. They collaborated on a hugely successful sketch comedy series for the BBC and toured together in 1990 and 2000. Their last tour, French and Saunders: Still Alive!, was in 2008-09 and they teamed up again for a podcast, Titting About, in 2020. Michael Harrison, the producer of the Palladium panto, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will be starring in this year’s Cinderella. Having two of the nation’s most beloved comedy icons together on the Palladium stage is incredibly exciting. Their legendary chemist