DAWN FrENCH

Arts, Entertainment, Comedy

Suggested by Di Downs

“Dawn French needs little introduction. She is a prolific actor, comedian and writer who has made her home in Cornwall and delighted in living here for many years. Becoming an important part of the comedy scene in the 1980s at a time when women comedians were in the minority, in partnership with Jennifer Saunders, she wrote and co-starred in endless hilarious sketches and gleeful parodies. Unafraid to make fun herself, she was championing body positivity at a time it wasn’t talked about or even thought necessary. As the well-known lead in The Vicar of Dibley her accomplished delivery allowed others to shine beside her as she held together a cast of unforgettable characters that people still remember clearly today. Dawn has of course written numerous novels and starred in many films and live performances.

I met Dawn in 2016 as part of a team of Fashion & Textiles staff and students who created the gown for her Chancellorship of Falmouth University. Typically Dawn did not want traditional robes. She steered us to create a gown that showcases the talents of many individuals and references Cornwall, from depictions of indigenous flora in the weave to the suggestion of chough plumage in subtly iridescent beading. It is, though, a memory of an early French & Saunders sketch where the pair - with their very different body shapes - were dressed in identical lipstick pink suits with close fitting tailored jackets and pencil skirts that underlined irreverent hilarity that stays with me as much. 

 Since adopting Cornwall as her home in 2006 Dawn has generously supported Cornish culture, giving fulsome praise to local businesses, eateries and locations, and engaging with the cultural life of the county in her positions as Chancellor of Falmouth University and Patron of Morrab Library. In this way Dawn French has become an enthusiastic patron of the arts in Cornwall and an ambassador for the whole county.”