We're still a team, say French and Saunders

Comedy duo French and Saunders promised to continue working together after collecting their Academy Fellowship award at the television Baftas.

Mon, 27 Apr, 2009 - 09:46

Comedy duo French and Saunders promised to continue working together after collecting their Academy Fellowship award at the television Baftas.

Speaking after last night’s ceremony Dawn French said: “The sketch show format has come to an end but we will work together.

“We couldn’t not. We know there will be various things hopefully.”

Jennifer Saunders said that there would be another series of 'Jam and Jerusalem' and a tour of Australia.

Asked what they would say to the younger versions of themselves, Saunders said: “Dress better.”

French added: “I think we did everything just tickety boo... I’m looking forward to the next female double act whoever they are.”

Asked about their favourite sketch, French said: “I love it when we’re in the white room together”, and Saunders added: “To finish on Mamma Mia it’s a joy beyond joy”.

Told that she looked uncannily like Meryl Streep, Saunders said: “She looks uncannily like me.”

'X-Factor' presenter Dermot O’Leary said that Cheryl Cole’s contribution to the show has been “immeasurable”.

He said: “She’s injected a new lease of life into it for all of us.”

Asked if the show could survive without Simon Cowell, producer Richard Holloway said: “I don’t think you could take any one person out of a show like this and it not survive...However without Simon the show would lose its heart and that would be a very difficult person to replace.”

Third-time Bafta winner Harry Hill joked: “There’s only ever one way to find out which would be the better entertainment show and that would be a formally organised fight.”

Hill joked that Jonathan Ross would win “because I imagine he would probably play dirty”.

Asked about beating Ross to a Bafta, he said: “I’m a great fan of his show.”

Bafta winner David Mitchell said it was a bit unfair on comedy partner Robert Webb that he had not won.

But he added: “I’m not pretending I’m not glad it’s this way round.”

Here is the full list of winners at the 2009 Bafta television awards:

:: Actor

Stephen Dillane – The Shooting Of Thomas Hurndall

:: Actress

Anna Maxwell Martin – Poppy Shakespeare

:: Entertainment performance

Harry Hill – Harry Hill’s TV Burp

:: Comedy performance