Dawn French: First Covid lockdown lost me months of work in a morning

The comedian, 63, said: “I am a person who likes to have a nice full diary. I like to know what I am doing and pay my mortgage and enjoy my life and challenge myself. It was very frightening – 18 months of work disappeared in one morning.”

Luckily the Vicar Of Dibley star was able to film three Christmas episodes of the show, which see her make three virtual sermons to her parish.

Reflecting on life under lockdown, one sees vicar Geraldine Granger tell how “getting a much-needed haircut from a friend may not always result in complete gorgeousness, especially if the scissors are held by someone rather more used to working with animals”.

Dawn is also kept busy writing her fourth book, Because Of You.

Despite thinking it her best yet, she told Good Housekeeping she still feared her readers’ judgments.

She said: “A good nine months of my life has gone into a book and my heart and soul is in the pages.”

Read the full interview with Dawn French in the January issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale today. It is available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect