Dawn French's new sitcom Can You Keep a Secret? casts Doctor Who star

French plays widow Debbie Fendon, a grandmother who will stop at nothing to make sure her family is protected, but most of the time the only person they need to be protected from is her.

When her husband William (Heap) unexpectedly dies, Debbie makes "an outlandish decision that will put the family under more pressure than ever before".

The synopsis continues: "Because Debbie isn’t actually a widow and William didn’t really die – he was just mistakenly declared dead and the two retirees found themselves staring down the barrel of an opportunity too good to pass up.

"Just a few months hiding out in the loft waiting for the life insurance to pay out and then they can live out their golden years in peace.

"This all proves a bit much for their easily frazzled son Harry (Roberts), who - despite his emotional shortcomings - has managed to acquire a family of his own and a potentially life-changing insurance payout from his father’s 'death'.

"What’s especially tricky for Harry is that his pathologically pragmatic wife Neha (Gill) is a local police officer and, if she finds out about her in-laws' fraudulent ways, the Fendons might have an issue.

"Clearly, Harry – reunited with a dad he's just buried and the reality that his parents have turned into a pensioner version of Bonnie and Clyde – suddenly has a lot more to juggle.

"Sandwiched between two generations of toddlers, he finds himself navigating a very common stage of life – only this time, it's criminal."

From the producer of This Country, the series is filmed and set in the West Country – but will this family be able to keep their secret?

Can You Keep a Secret? will air on BBC One and iPlayer.

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