Thongs for the memories ... French and Saunders are going their separate ways. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Can French and Saunders really be calling it a day? There'll be a retrospective series - A Bucketful of French and Saunders - next month, interwoven with some new stuff. And there are rumours of a swan song tour next year. But the end is nigh, or at least the beginning of the end. After 20 years of it, Britain's leading female comedy duo have decided to stop being funny together. Unless of course you think they did that a while ago.
When Dawn and Jennifer first appeared on The Comic Strip Presents in the early 80s, they were part of a scene that felt fresh and anarchic. On a Tube appearance, Dawn said "blow job" on TV for the first time. Which was quite bad back then.
But then the BBC decided they were the future, gave them their own show, and started throwing money at them. The French & Saunders show, especially the elaborate film parodies that were such an integral part of it, became more and more lavish. They had come a long way up from the underground; they had joined the establishment. And the establishment is rarely funny.
French & Saunders no longer felt anarchic. Their audience grew old with them. How could they compete with the wickedness of Ali G? Or with the wit of The Thick of It? People say "blow job" on children's TV now - give them too, most probably, or certainly teach you how to. Lavish film parodies, so elaborate you're not sure if it's the film that's being parodied, or the parody itself, no longer cut it.
Their solo work - Ab Fab for Saunders, Dibley for French - continued to shine after the double act went off. It's just that when they got together, they felt like a couple of old aunties who have to do their special act every Christmas, the same one they always do, even though it's a bit embarrassing now. It's probably best they've decided to give it a rest now.
