Dawn French talks to Richard Coles

Dawn French has been making us all laugh for decades. But her new novel is an emotional tearjerker – telling the story of a 68-year-old woman who unexpectedly gathers her family around her to tell them this will be her last day alive. French talks about the idea behind the book – the ultimate cure for old age – and how she writes serious subjects without sacrificing any of the comedy. All her previous books have been best-sellers, and as a comedian and actor, she’s appeared in some of the UK’s most celebrated shows, from French and Saunders and The Vicar of Dibley to her recent comedy-drama Can You Keep a Secret? She talks to parish priest turned author Richard Coles.