Dame Edna to return to the BBC for one night only

Filmed in front of a studio audience, the hour-long Dame Edna Show will include celebrity chat, music and a “few surprises” for viewers.

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“The world needs sunshine so I am very happy to welcome you all on board,” said Dame Edna about the new show. “One hour on my yacht is better than a lifetime on a cruise liner.”

The character’s last major TV project was ITV talk show The Dame Edna Treatment in 2007, but she’s made plenty of guest appearances since in the likes of including Michael McIntyre's Big Show, Loose Women and the Ab Fab movie.

Humphries said he would first retire the character in 2012, but Dame Edna returned on stage the next year in Australia. A tour of the US and Australia is planned for later this year.

Dame Edna – best known for her wisteria hue hair and cat eye glasses – was originally developed by Humphries in the 1960s. She shot to stardom in the UK in 1987 with comedy talk show The Dame Edna Experience.

The Dame Edna Show will air on later this year on BBC1