Next week's TV event The Big Night In will feature a miniature The Vicar of Dibley revival, Dawn French has confirmed.

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French announced the news on Twitter with a snap showing her wearing the dog collar and cross adorned by her character Reverend Geraldine Granger in the beloved sitcom.

The image was accompanied by a caption, which read, "Hmmm. Somethin interestin this way comes...." along with the broadcast details for The Big Night In, which airs this Thursday from 7-10pm on BBC One.

In a further statement, French went into greater detail about the special, saying, "I’m back in the dog collar, back in the vicarage, and back on your telly as part of The Big Night In. Be there, or go to hell. Literally. I have some sway.”

The Big Night In will bring together a host of telly stars, with Lenny Henry, Matt Baker, Zoe Ball, Davina McCall and Paddy McGuinness sharing presenting duties and a number of other famous faces - including Catherine Tate and Peter Kay - also performing from their own homes.

It sees Comic Relief and Children in Need come together for the first time to raise funds for those on the frontline fighting Covid-19, as well as for unsung heroes going the extra mile to support their communities.

French hasn't reprised her role as the vicar since 2015, when she appeared in a sketch for Comic Relief.

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The Vicar of Dibley, which aired from 1994 to 1998 with several specials in the years after, was recently added to the Netflix catalogue.

Authors

Patrick Cremona, RadioTimes.com's senior film writer looking at the camera and smiling
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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