Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - S13 Ep 15: Jennifer Saunders

Episode Date: June 1, 2022

Ahead of her starring role in the West End production of Sister Act, we were honoured to welcome the wonderful Jennifer Saunders onto Table Manners this week. We cracked opened the Bolly darling and chatting everything from frozen peas to the dream dinner party that went hideously wrong.Jennifer told us about her discovery of rock oysters in Australia & her pocket money habits as a child. It was really just a gorgeous Friday evening with an absolute legend. She exceeded all expectations - what a woman! Enjoy! XSister Act opens at London’s Eventim Apollo on July 19th Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Table Manners. I'm Jessie Ware and we are weary. Weary? Weary. Weary or wary? Why are you weary? Are we weary or wary? Weary. Weary is when you're a bit worried about something, but I'm weary and wary. Well, we're a little weary after being on tour. Tell everyone about your experience of being on tour. Darling, I was mobbed on stage.

You were. That was only in Edinburgh, though. You didn't get mobbed again. Darling, they couldn't get to me because there was so much security after that. So we're back from tour. The episodes will follow this episode of the live shows. But how was your experience of being on tour, Molly? Darling, I loved it.

I absolutely got into my stride. By the second night at the Palladium, I could have done another week. She could have had a residency. Residency, darling. So, we have a huge person coming today. We know... She's not a huge person.

She's a huge star. Okay, she's a huge star. I'm huger than her, definitely. You look very nice tonight. Do I, darling? I've had to put my Spanx on because my belly's so big. Your manager bought me a donut. Well, don't worry.

Somebody asked me if I was seven to eight months pregnant this week, and I said no. Well, you don't look pregnant. That's someone very rude. They didn't even go with like three to four months. They weren't proper, you know, last trimester. People shouldn't be asking that. Anyway, she didn't even go with like three to four months. They went proper, you know, last trimester. People shouldn't be asking that. Anyway,

she didn't even give me a discount. She said, I feel so bad. And I thought, well, you should feel bad, but you should also give me a discount. But she didn't even give me a discount.

She offered me free gift wrapping. Anyway, we, you've made an effort. Same dress you wore to the synagogue this week. We did a little talk there. We know it's a big deal because manager Peter has arrived. Pitched up.

He's pitched up. It's like him collecting football cards. It's the fourth one. Or Pokemon cards. The final autograph he needs. Yeah, I don't really know anybody who still collects autographs apart from Peter. But it's for this particular photograph, Jessie. Yes.

So it is for a... So she's one of the girls on top. And we've already had Ruby Wax, Dawn French. And I believe Joanna Lumley put in a good word for us for this to happen tonight. Do you think? Maybe. Maybe.

We haven't had her before. We've been asking. True. It's Jennifer Saunders. I can't wait to speak to her, darling. What are you... Well, I want to speak to her, darling. What are you? Well, I want to speak to her about Dawn and French. Dawn and French.

French and Saunders. French and Saunders. Yeah, Dawn and French. French and Saunders. I want to speak to her about Ab Fab. Yeah. I want to speak to her about the sister act that's coming up. She's playing Mother Superior in the West End. Fabulous.

I know she's going to the West End. Fabulous. I know she's going to look really cool. Absolutely fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. And what have you made, Mum? Because I've done nothing today. I apologise. Yep.

It's noted. I've made sea bream. Yeah. In an anchovade crust with Hasselback potatoes, Jersey Royals. Lovely. Some fresh asparagus and I braised some fennel in ouzo. Nice. Yeah. Where did you get these ideas from?

It's a combination of ideas, darling. From my own original mind, darling. Right. I'm not supposed to be drinking, so has that ouzo been burned off? That ouzo's burned off. That bouzo's been... Bouzo's been turned off.

Have you been drinking? No, I haven't had one drink, but I have, I think, what sent me off on one is the large dono. The dono? What the hell's going on, Mum? Get your shit together.

We've got a star coming through the door in a minute. Don't cut the... I'm so tired. I can't know. What the hell's going on, Mum? Get your shit together. We've got a star coming through the door in a minute. I'm so tired. I can't move. Jennifer Saunders, the fabulous, absolutely fabulous Jennifer Saunders coming up on Taylor's. We are so excited. Cheers. Oh, cheers.

What an absolute joy this is. First drink in a while, so really enjoy that. And what are we drinking, Jennifer? What are we drinking? Bolly. Bolly, darling. I only know about Bolly because I had a friend called Jobo at college and she and her family, she somehow, she knew about everything

and she and her family, she somehow, she knew about everything and she knew about champagne and she always used to be a bit sniffy about Moet and stuff and she went, what you want? You want Bollie? And I said, what's Bollie? And she went, Bollinger. And after that I thought, I'm only ever going to say that. I'm only ever going to drink Bollie.

It is delicious. It is. Graham brought this. It is amazing. Because Ricardo sent me a 26 pound bottle that was that big they must have made a mistake

I love that mum's now just said basically she didn't buy it no I did it was delivered this morning it was only that big so it's only oh no

yeah it was that big like a third of a bottle like a hen do yeah like a baby sham yeah like a baby sham and so graham rushed along with his bottle of bolly so so how lucky how are you i'm very well indeed how is i'm a bit

stressed to be honest are you on rehearsals not not quite we do our first rehearsals next week we have three days of rehearsals um for sister act and i'm so i can't you know how it's I'm not a singer Jessie in that I can I can everything I've ever sung on TV or anything I've done to a

backing track which we've pre-recorded and someone's you sung in Shrek Shrek I know

but line by line I loved it you know line by line there's someone going you're flat you're sharp stop

you're flat you're sharp go you know all this sort of stuff and so this will be the first time i've really sung live you know jennifer you know what all the the people are doing now you can just get an auto-tune on your voice can i yeah just say listen smooch smudge a bit of that on if you're really feeling a bit nervous in the first couple of nights i'm playing an an old nun. I think she would sing a bit off.

Yeah, that's fine. A bit pitchy. Pitchy nun. Beverly Knight is the lead. This is a nightmare for you. I think take it. Take it, Beverly. And I shall Rex Harrison my way through most of the numbers.

Well, I feel a bit sorry for you because your outfit isn't great, is it? It's great. Of course it's great. Oh, you like it. You're wearing it. You can get fat, thin. Oh, that's okay. You can be anything.

You don't have to do your hair. All right. This is what I'm thinking. You only wear a circle of your face. Ever has to be made up. That's quite a good point. Which is great. You get in.

You can look like whatever. And it doesn't matter. Yes. I think that's why nuns do it, to be honest. You only do three days of rehearsals? Or have you done... No, I was going to say... No, no.

I was like... This is three sort of... Times. What are they called? Sort of preliminary... Oh, OK. Sort of to calm the nerves sort of thing. And then we start in June the 6th, the real rehearsals.

You're not stressed, are you? I am quite stressed. But are you nervous I'm not for that but I've got my daughter's getting married and I've got builders in the house that's stressful that's stressful not the show oh no well it's a little bit nerve-wracking so when you you've planned this wedding when is the wedding soon um yes in the beginning of June are you very involved? yes because mum called my wedding our wedding ok Sam did point out it wasn't marrying me

a couple of times well it's not really I mean to be honest it's not really stressful it's when everything else piles on top you know what I mean I think the next three days of rehearsal are going to be great because then that's that once you're lifted out of that it's like that stress is gone. Yeah.

You know. And, yeah, it's going to be enjoyable. Have you been asked to do a speech at the wedding? Because I can imagine, I'm sure your partner is probably very funny. No, I'm going to do a reading. We've got three daughters and Freya, who's getting married, is the last one. And so this is his third speech. Does he do comedy anymore?

Yes. He's doing more serious stuff. Oh, no, it is mainly serious. You're right, yes. Yeah, I loved him in all the things I've seen him recently. He's been so good. He does a lot of serious acting now. I'm sorry, I'm just sipping some lovely water.

So do you. You do serious acting too. You were in... Not very well, Jessie. You were in the Harlan Coben one. Oh, yes, I was. You were good in um not very well jesse you were in the harlan coban one oh yes i was was i thank you hey thank you do you do i do find it quite hard the sort of serious and i've just done a film actually of a alan bennett play called hallelujah which is about the nhs and about a nurse and that was quite serious actually and I

you really have to sort of think more than I mean comedy is funny, comedy I think is slightly more instinctive but real heavy acting is bloody difficult. But you're acting all the time, Peter has shown me nearly every one of

your sketches this evening just to cheer me up when I was moaning about cutting Hasselback potatoes. He said, watch these. And you're acting all the time. Yes, but you're in control of it. If you're doing your own characters and stuff, it's different. I have huge admiration for really good actors. I think it's a different skill.

So the podcast, we'd like to know about all things food-related to you. Oh, yes. So where did you grow up? My parents, my dad was in the Air Force, and so we travelled around a lot. so um we traveled around a lot we um uh lived in Wiltshire in Cyprus in Turkey in Cheshire I I sort of started um secondary school in Cheshire um but before that we were all over the place really so but you met Dawn when your parents were stationed or now didn't Dawn tell us that you met

oh we have a best friend in common that's right yes we did because all of if you're in the forces you know you just travel you go to different postings and Dawn and I had a best friend in common at two different postings

so she was my best friend when we posted one place and dawn's best friend in another place yes camilla so who is cooking in my family my mother was she a good cook yeah she was a good cook and um she she could do a lot of sort of middle easterny stuff because of being in turkey and stuff so she'd learn how to do a lot of sort of Middle Eastern-y stuff because of being in Turkey and stuff. So she'd learn how to do a bit of Turkish cooking. So if there were dinner parties, like, and I could smell quite a lot of exotic-y smells, you know. But for general, I'd think she, it was the year, it was the time of the deep freeze, you know. So she would cook things deep freeze.

And we did have the odd Find odd findus pancake which was rather nice you know what mum mum you were talking about them only on wednesday because yeah my friend joe who's an actor who's been on this right at the beginning he said that he grew up just on finn's everything frozen yeah so when your mum would do kind of the Middle Eastern food would you turn your nose up at it or were you quite an adventurous cook

well I'm not a fan of sultanas in rice really that's absolutely still I hate them I basically hate sultanas

a lot of the time I understand that mainly in a bun currants are the worst. They're a wimpy raisin. Yeah. Oh, you don't like raisins either?

No, I don't like raisins. Do you know, I can eat them out of a packet. Put them in a bun and cook them. I can't eat them. I'm not a fan of fruitcake. Am I having rice and sultanas and fruitcake? Please tell me I'm not.

No, it isn't. You're not. I suddenly saw your face and I said I don't like sultanas and ricecake please tell me i'm not okay i suddenly saw your face and i said no no no not at all it's in rice no not at all i i mean i quite like swell up so they look like slightly bloated insects you know no i don't love the consistency of a fat sultana however i will happily eat one okay so i'm an anti-fat sultana. I respect them. But not in your eyes.

No. So were you a fussy eater when you were younger? No. I think I've basically always eaten everything that's been put in front of me. And wanted more. I tell you what, I love the best. Suet pudding. Did you ever make suet puddings? No.

You're never had pastry pudding? No. Suet pudding is basically flour and suet in a bowl and then you pour golden syrup over it. So is it like a kind of. It's like a great big. Sponge. Dumpling. Yeah.

With golden syrup on top. Do you make it? My mother used to make it. I've never made one, but my mother used to make that. And that used to be Sunday lunch pudding. Roast chicken, Sunday lunch lunch and then suet pudding and would you have it with ice cream or no just golden syrup just got oh keep it pure okay just keep it pure are you are you a good cook um i'm not a bad cook but i'm quite you know how you get one dish and you do it for two years and then you

decide oh a bit bored of that so you do another dish for two years I'm sort of that sort of cook and if there's like if there's nothing in I can make a meal yeah um but I quite like cooking quite quickly I'm not a waiter you know so what's been your kind of dish of the last two years that you really thrived and dined out on oh i tell you what um a tomato curry it was a nigella i got a bit hooked onto nigella because she did quite good like tray bake stuff over lockdown and kind of vegetarian stuff and because you know we're all i'm trying to eat less meat. I know. And it's hard. But she did a great tomato curry. Tomato curry?

Oh, it was lovely. So did it have a pulse in it? I think it was on rice. It was like this sort of beautiful tomato-y thing on rice. And it's quick. Yes. I'm going to look it up. No, I'm going to look it up.

Was it curry? I'm doubting myself base of most curries is it was about a million cherry tomatoes in it i remember that i'm melting it down and then i'm pretty sure it had a sure delicious it was a sort of spicy thing anyway that and um i love um chicken thighs over frozen peas with a splash of vermouth, and you put them in the oven, and they come out perfect. Oh, wow. That's a really good idea.

It's great because it gets steamed by the frozen peas in the oven. How clever. And the vermouth with the peas, delicious. Do you cover it with foil so it kind of all kind of... No. Oh. Chop a few leeks in. Yeah.

Oh, it sounds great. A bed of frozen peas. Did you make that up? No, that's a Nigella. Is it? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Now, I sort of follow those recipes.

She's your goddess. Well, only because it was easy because it's on Instagram. And if you're flicking through Instagram, you go, oh, that looks good. I know that's what I do. I see her on Instagram and think I you're flicking through Instagram, you go, oh, that looks good. I know that's what I do. I see her on Instagram. I think I'll make that. Which food chefs, yeah, apart from Nigella, do you follow on Instagram that really get you going? I don't know.

I think she's the only one I follow, actually, is chefs. I follow her. Chefs I like are, I love Angela Hartnett. I think she's terrific, isn't she? Yeah. I like ones that aren't pretentious and just it comes from a basic love of food and cooking and not too um not too fussy and rachel roddy in the garage do you like her yeah i love her stuff so do you like italian food love italian food love italian food i think it is

probably my favorite kind of food so where do you go go for your Italian food when you're in London? Do you know? I don't know at the moment. London's changed quite a lot recently. Lots of places that sort of used to be open and aren't anymore. There's a great little place near us called the Italian Greyhound. And weirdly, they had... It's a purely Italian restaurant.

But they got a... I think it's a Japanese chef in. So it had a little twist on it you know it was delicious food absolutely delicious have you ever tried making pasta? no

that doesn't appeal to me at all me neither you think if you can buy it I know and it's so nice bought it's never quite as nice I don't think

it's so soft and doughy I just it's kind of like me and baking too it all takes nice, I don't think. It's so soft and doughy. I just, it's kind of like me and baking too. It all takes too long. I don't bake. It's a fan. I'm so glad you don't bake. Yeah, I don't bake.

And neither does mum, really. We've had years of people making cupcakes and fairy cakes and bake-off cakes. And every time I look at it, I go, should I be baking? And the answer is no. No. Too much mess. Too much It's too much mess. Too much mess. Too much mess.

Where did you get married? At home, at my parents' home in Cheshire. And did they cook? No. I don't think so. I think they had a... A caterer. Do you know?

It must have been. I don't remember. You can't remember it. No. I mean, I remember the wedding, um aid and i decided to get married and um we decided to get married within six weeks because then we were starting work or something so within six weeks which didn't seem like a short amount of time then um now it seems like quite tight and um we said to my parents so we'll get married here. And they went, yep, absolutely fine. We then went off on a sort of, on a holiday to the Caribbean for two weeks

while my mother and everyone got the wedding ready. And we came back with looking lovely and beautifully tanned. Brown, relaxed. Relaxed. I don't, my mother said, a friend of hers was doing the flowers i said fine she said here's the table plan he said fine it was just a big party how did you meet your husband um we worked together at the comic strip in the early days which was a club in soho and he was doing an act with rick male and i was doing an act with Dawn and we just we sort of knew each other for

a lot of six years before we sort of got together and and was Soho a spot for you that was a kind of dating eating spot where you'd go um yeah it was a it was a place that we spent a lot of time in because all the the sort of little tv offices were there and the clubs were there and it was a a real hub of creative people and things in soho lovely little cheap restaurants and it was very different it was full of just really really nice cheap places to eat and hang out and um yeah it's fun yeah it was fun do your do your kids like your food um yes i think so they keep telling me stop selling it that's what they used to say when they were girls and i would go i would go do you want some more come on there's some lovely stuff

they say stop selling the food we're eating the food stop selling the food i know because i used to go but you'd like a bit more of that wouldn't you would you have a bit more what about if you have it with this and that and they go stop it so you're a feeder yeah i do i like people to eat um aids a very good cook and yes very good cook we'll let him cook yeah well he does he generally does but sometimes we try and take it in turns yeah just to be you know just Is he? Yes, very good cook. Well, let him cook. Yeah, well, he does. What are you bothering for? He generally does, but sometimes we try and take it in turns. Yeah, just to be fair. You know, just to be fair.

But he's a very good cook. And he understands he's more adventurous with ingredients and things like preserved lemons and things that I don't really know what to do with. Yeah, a bit frightening, preserved lemons. things that I don't really know what to do with. Yeah, a bit frightening, preserved lemons. I've just about conquered cumin, and I think, you know, I sort of understand it now, but there's lots of things I don't really. Your mother's gone off. Mum, do you want help?

Okay. I had to say that because I haven't done any help. Yeah, she didn't mean that. Oh, what are we having? Oh, yeah, mum, what are we having? Oh, yeah, come on. You haven't described what we're actually eating. What we're having, it's a Tocino Myers recipe. Oh.

Which is, it's sea bream with an anchoyard crust. Oh. Anchoyard. Is that anchovies and breadcrumbs? What is anchovies? It's anchovies. Is it? And it's capers and olive oil

and butter and then it garlic and then breadcrumbs with parsley which lovely Alice got me in the last minute because I forgot it I needed it and then some Hasselback potatoes which yeah Hasselback ones yeah they're like hedgehogs yeah yeah they do make them taste nice but why do they make them taste nicer is it because they kind of go sweeter fat oh there's more surface area yeah i think so they're jersey royals i got and then i've done braised celery with ouzo and some asparagus so it's just it's not very it's quite simple she's a very good cook no i thought she should probably spit it out now, darling. Well, there's no Sultana.

She's going to be fine. She'll be all right, yeah. I ate everything. Forgive me, I haven't seen this sketch, but you have a very famous sketch, French and Saunders, of you being a host at a dinner party. Oh, yes. And not coping terribly.

Very early on. Yes. And not getting really much beyond the nuts. Just the neurosis, the neurotic. Yeah. We used to have a name for her. Some sort of neurotic housewife who just was so uptight. Just couldn't cope, could she?

No. But is that because you'd seen that somewhere else, obviously? I just think, I just thought, I remember we played with it once and I just thought, oh thought that's really funny the person that is so new trying to get everything so right i know that it's not right and you think why don't you just relax and i do remember because everyone has that moment of going why have i asked people over it's going to be hideous no one's going to get on have we got the nibbles but are they in the right bowl have you got the things what are we doing after the campaign what are we moving on to and

everyone goes through that in their head but eventually you've just got to deep breath and to be honest after a first sip of no one cares really we've worked that one out yes most people arrive thinking oh i hope we're going to be all alright and I hope there's someone to talk to and I hope, no one's everyone has their own little world of neurosis but honestly it just made us laugh more and more each time and I remember on the night

we had to do it and because you have to sometimes do things a few times you know in front of the audience and you have to go back and do retakes. Was that in front of a live audience? Oh, yeah. All the shows. So was it the BBC?

Yeah. Was it the Paris? Is it called the Paris Theatre? No, it was just in one of the studios. Oh, it wasn't on the Haymarket, that one on the Haymarket. No, no, just in the studios. Were you always guaranteed quite a good crowd? Because they'd like, or were they quite polite?

Once they knew you. The first series i remember thinking it really was a little bit you know who are these girls sort of thing so it was quite hard work the first series but by the second series you get your own sort of audience coming and they know what to expect um and yeah but if you do it you know take three i was literally every time i went with the polish on the table, I would squirt it in my eye to make them laugh or do something. You know, you have to sort of constantly keep the whole thing bubbling up.

Was there a point in your career where you were like, you know what, everyone knows me. Everyone knows me from the telly, from Ab Fab, from French, like, you know maybe you had children at that point was there any point time where you were like you know what i need to just step away for a bit or did it ever get too intrusive no i don't think it ever got very intrusive i think um i think it was more intrusive for dawn um but i think um for me really i mean it never got to the point i think people were surprised because because we always play characters they were surprised

what i look like and when our fab started because i wore a wig and um and then you take the wig off and you're just you know little brown mouse you know you're just a sort of um a normal person that's not what they're looking for so you know the worst thing was i would try and avoid huge supermarket cute things you can't get out of because if one person recognizes you it's like oh is it that you've seen you've seen his hair is it you are you who i think you are and what do you say and you go probably yes yes who do you think i am and there was once a woman came up and said will you sign this for us please and uh i signed it and she took it back to her friend she went none the wiser but it was never i mean I mean, it was never that sort of level of fame, really.

I don't think. How fun to be able to do so many brilliant things and also not... Do you feel you're quite anonymous if you walk down the road? Yeah. And my kids say I'm not, which is weird. Because I think I don't notice it. And my kids go, oh, my God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

Oh, stare, stare. I just completely just don't notice it, I suppose. Are your daughters funny? They are all very funny. My middle daughter, Beatty, is a comedian. Right. And she's done lots and lots of comedy and um but they are all and she's i mean she's really funny but they're all funny they're always very good at coming home from

school and telling us a funny story or imitating a teacher or you know when they start off you know first jobs internships and things and coming back yeah and going oh my god this woman today and then doing the whole thing and have us having us in stitches so they are all very funny and how is it being a grandmother because my mum don't you think it's the best thing on earth yeah your grandma you've got five five i'm so jealous. I'm done, Mum. Thank God, I'm done. Oh, hello, Kat. Yeah, the annoying...

Don't be mean, Mum. He's just become... He's walked through with such purpose. Yeah, to walk around you. He needs love. No, no, that was like, excuse me. Yeah, you were in my patch. You know when you're filming sometimes and people, you go,

excuse me, would you mind just standing there on the pavement while we get this shot? And they go, no. And they just walk through very slowly. And that's exactly what he did then. Hello, Table Manners listeners. I just wanted to let you know about my new podcast, Is It Normal? The Pregnancy Podcast, which follows my pregnancy journey and with the help of some brilliant experts will reassure and inform you about all aspects of pregnancy and giving birth. Throughout my pregnancy, I spoke to consultants, midwives, obstetricians, sonographers, mental health experts, doulas, home birth midwives,

reflexologists, the list goes on. And with the help of questions from other pregnant people the podcast covers as many aspects of pregnancy and giving birth as possible i'd love you to have a listen and please let your pregnant friends know about it is it normal the pregnancy podcast is a reassuring helping hand not an instruction manual it's a space for frank open and positive dialogue the full 40 weeks are available now wherever you get your podcasts i yeah i feel like you're in my house quite a lot because you're in sing aren't you yes you're the nana noodleman you're the goat is it a goat ram sheep sheep sorry sorry a ram that's a male sheep really glamorous yes nan noodleman

and you've got a fantastic voice in that haven't you is that Jennifer Hudson Hudson I think probably no I can't imagine why they had to use her why they didn't use me

I don't know so when you do these cartoons do you just do... Animations. Oh, sorry. Right, animations. Do you do your bit at home? Do it in a studio or...

But do you ever meet any of the other animals? No. Never met. No, I know. When you say animals, do you mean the actors? The other characters. Yes, the characters. Do you do it all on your own that is sad when

there's a sort of sad communion in there yeah the only time i mean even when i did the the first shrek the only time i ever met anybody apart from the director was um when we all had to promote it you know and you sort of meet and but it's it is but it's also i think it's one of the nicest things to do because it's so concentrated on a drawing or like a sketch that they've got and the lines and you have to sort of rework them quite a lot sometimes because they come back and go no we need this shorter now or we want this new scene and it's so concentrated and lovely so for a day you might do you know sort of a page of lines on a day you know a few hours you do just a few lines but it's really concentrated and you don't have to worry about what you look like they have a camera on you so they can get

your mouth movements and some of your expressions but it's it's a really pleasurable thing to do yeah because i didn't know whether you were having to watch the scene because obviously you're the actor, so it's like, do they have any animation in front of you? They sometimes have little, the first time, like the first Shrek I did, the first time I saw them they just had the drawings and they said, here is what your character will look like

and then, so you do the script and then you go back and you do a bit more when they've got a bit more animation. But you never see it fully animated. And I guess, like, when was the first Shrek that you did? How many years ago? It was many years ago. Many years ago. Many years ago. And then sing.

And then, but but like i feel like technology's probably it's just advancing so quickly so quickly i mean the stuff they can do now is quite amazing i mean they literally direct it like a proper movie you know i mean they have they say well then the camera will come in here and you could camera they go well you know the imaginary camera the animation will come in here and this shot and that shot and it's it's it's like a proper movie it's yeah i mean it's moved on from scooby-doo yeah it really has kids appreciate you yeah they love sing they absolutely love sing did you see sing too yes oh it's played in our house every damn day i don't know when i first read the script and they said what it was,

I thought, is this going to work? What, it's a koala bear? And I'm a sheep? And hang on a minute, and I thought, how is this going to work? And it's absolutely brilliant. Think about Peppa Pig, how well she's done. Who thought that? She's now what?

She's about 20 now, isn't she, Peppa? Yeah. She's got two big flaboots now, probably, Pepper, isn't she? Yeah, absolutely. They must have changed Pepper a lot over the years, haven't they? I don't know. There's a lady on holiday whose daughter went to school with Pepper and had a squeaky voice.

That is like a good university fund, isn't it? Very good. Being the voice of Pepper, right? Yeah. It's got to be, hasn't it? Yeah. Would you ever do another Rap Fab and bring the old timers back together again?

Do you think she's ever been asked that before, Mum? I don't care. I'm going to ask it. Well, do you know, all the time I'm asked and all the time I say maybe or no. But it's a sort of, I think, it's not so much about wanting to do the characters, which we always do, and me and Joanna always talk about,

because we love them so much and they are such fun to do. It's about waiting for there to be a new idea or a different kind of world for them to be in. You don't want to make it rubbish. And I just sort of, I don't know, suppose there could be abfab dignitas oh no oh my god can i ask a question oh yeah i wondered whether you okay peter get on the mic now this is this is this happened in the dawn french episode two just lean in with the french and saunders show do you not now you don't do that do you not

find yourself bursting with ideas for sketches or you hear someone see someone on the tv think we could do that well I tell you we could have done it we could have made it really funny probably 20 years ago but the trouble is now we are we are in our mid-60s and it's harder to say oh we could do Bridgerton, because, I mean, we'd only have to be the old people. But do you have the lines and the ideas in your head when you think that person... I really want to see French and Saunders do Bridgerton.

I'd love you to do Bridgerton. Actually, Peter showed me a sketch, and I said that could have been Bridgerton. What was that sketch? The Dangerous Liaison. Dangerous Liaison. And they're talking, they're gossiping. And I thought that could be Bridgerton.

Yes, and we think about it all the time. And, in fact, in one of our podcasts, Titting About Things, we talk about the things that we would do now. You should do them. Don't deprive us. I know, but no one's got the money to do it anymore. Really? Well, they're mad.

Honestly, they don't want two old birds. Oh, please. What? People exactly want that. Royalty. Come on. Yeah. Oh, no, we do.

And it's, yeah. And I think now, because of Netflix and everything, there's a lot of shows that people talk about all the time, having seen, like, have you seen this or have you seen that and you think actually you know there's quite a few things we'd quite like to do what are you watching at the moment i was going to ask you i'm very late to it's a sin oh oh my god i sort of put it off thinking i don't know if i could take it because it's my, it's that era, the 80s. And I thought,

am I, is it going to be just too grim? Am I going to just weep? And honestly, Aidan and I are watching One and I at the moment and it's gobsmackingly good. It's so good. How they didn't win a gold.

How? It's outrageous. The writing is, you don't even notice the writing. You don't notice the acting. They just feel like real people. It's such a joy. It's just so fantastic. It's outrageous. The writing is, you don't even notice the writing. You don't notice the acting. They just feel like real people. It's such a joy. It's just so fantastic.

It's tragic but joyful. Oh, my God. I am absolutely, I mean, in awe of it. In awe of the writing. It's just extraordinary. And all the actors. God, it's amazing. And so that has sort of taken my breath away a bit.

And I keep thinking, why did I put off watching it for so long? Because the second it's finished, I'm going to want to my breath away a bit and i keep thinking why did i put off watching it for so long because the second it's finished i'm going to want to watch it again should i get some plates out yeah would you like some wine with your food um this is fine yeah i'll stick with the champs if that's okay so whilst mum plates up oh um i'd like to ask you about your last supper oh yes so is it due yeah it is due okay starter main pudding and i think i know the drink of choice okay starter is um a dish called tortani which is a kind of it's it's like a cuttlefish dish we always go to holiday in the same place, very predictable in Italy where do you go?

I'm not going to tell you because there's no English people and because it's so lovely and it's just a family run restaurant and every time they see us he goes out and he fishes for tautony which I think is a kind of cuttlefish and they cook it in this just restaurant and every time they see us he goes out and he fishes for tautony which is i think it's a

kind of cuttlefish and they cook it in this just deliciously spicy tomatoey sauce and i think that would be my starter because it would take me back to family holidays yeah and it's very different to any it's different to squid it's softer yeah and um again some seafood is a big thing for me i love all kind of seafood but i've learned that it's very high in cholesterol what did you know that is it every kind of sea oysters are high in cholesterol well you'd have to have a lot of them right i don't think you'd have done that many frankly just so and i think that um seafood, which is very distressing to me, because I would eat seafood all day long. So I've stopped eggs and prawns.

But I love eggs. I can't live without eggs. I know, I've had to cut them. I have them every day. I know, but so did I. And I think my cholesterol is high. So I've had to stop that. So, okay.

Okay, so. But it's your last supper, but would you include. So, tortini there with maybe... I don't know. I mean, it'd be a lot of food, this last supper. Yeah, that's fine. I believe it's going to last a long time. Maybe you should have some oysters on the side, if you like an oyster.

Yeah, let's have some oysters. Well, let's have a sort of pre-hors d'oeuvre. Yeah, yeah. So, we have a few delicious oysters. Are you very particular about where you like your oysters from? No. Do you know a lot about the oyster? I don't like them too big. No, me too. delicious oysters yeah are you very particular about where you like your oysters from no do you know i don't like them too big and i don't like them too scrappy rocky oysters i like a sort of mid-size quite creamy oyster do you bite your oyster yes just lemon juice and pepper i like

vinaigrette i i've come down i've come down just to lemon juice and pepper because I really like the taste of the oyster. And I used to literally swallow an oyster whole and pretend I liked it. And it took me years to actually like them. When was the changing point? Was there a particular oyster you tasted? Yes, I think it was.

Because I think when we used to have oysters, like if you go out and eat posh, and the oysters used to be posh, and they used to be too big. And then we went to Australia on tour once, and they just said, do you want a little box of rock oysters? And I said, what are rock oysters? And they're just little oysters, little tiny oysters, and you get them at sort of little takeaways in Australia.

And they just crack them open, bit of lemon juice. And I thought, oh, this I like. This is nice because it doesn't gag you. Yeah. There's nothing worse than gagging on an oyster. Because you have to take them down a hole, Jessie. And it all gets a bit much. So I think the moment I realized that you could have them a little bit smaller was good.

Numbers. So, hors d'oeuvres. Yeah, fine. A few medium-sized oysters. Yeah. Then on to the tortini. And, oh God, it's hard, isn't it, for a main dish. You could have a mezze, whatever you can have with you.

But do you know what I am going to have? What? A whole roast chicken. Like your mother made? Yeah, a whole roast chicken with crispy skin and gravy. And, oh, look at this food that's been put in front of me. Oh, this looks very nice, Mum. It's absolutely...

This is my first Hasselback potato. Oh, my God. Wow. Do you actually just slice them like that? Yeah, like that. That's beautiful. It's like a little... Oh, it's nice.

Absolutely gorgeous. Mum, thank you. Is it nice? I'm sure it is. It looks perfect. I might have a glass of rosé. Would anyone else like a glass of rose mum

yes please this is great mum is it nice yes let's have a let's get into this so the main is a roast

yes a chicken main I think I mean the thing that I sort of fantasise if I'm really hungry is a roast chicken because I'm a picker at a chicken carcass you know what I mean it's like everyone else will go for the breast meat

and I'll just go I'll just pick at the and those oysters underneath and Amelie introduced me to those you know in the film Amelie her favourite part is the oyster of the chicken which is the

underneath and it's this beautiful moist delicious succulent beer there's only two of them thank you Amelie

so I think I would oh I don't know there's so much beautiful food in the world oh I didn't choose it's like but that's a sort of

comfort food a big roast chicken do you have a trick delicious gravy do you have a trick for your gravy no not really no particular trick i'll tell you what's quite good are these miso pastes that come out now a little bit of miso paste and something is really good and you get the ones that are flavored with a bit of chili or something and if the gravy's a bit that's a great idea and

you just put a bit of that in the pan with the juices and a bit of... It's got a really yummy taste and you can use less salt then. Jennifer, take me back to the most nostalgic taste that can just bring you somewhere in an instant. Oh, okay. Gosh, now what would it be? Oh, do you know what it is? Sorry. Bazooka bubblegum.

Oh, bazooka. With a little cartoon. Yes, cartoon in. And I can see and I can taste it now because it is my childhood going to the sweet shop and getting pockets full of bazooka bubblegum. It's quite hard to really nosh into. There was that, or there was, what was the other one?

Bublo or what was the other one which was round? It was a round one, Hubba Bubba. And there was, no there was a round one in my day. It was that or there was a thing that used to be called sweet tobacco which was basically coconut sort of shredded with a sort of spice around it and it was made to look like like we used to have sweet cigarettes it's made to look like a packet of tobacco and you'd look like you were having a pipe smoking your pipe but it would just be coconut but i think bazooka joe bubbleum. It's like nothing else in the world. You know what I mean? It just takes me back to my childhood and being

with my grandmother who used to have a little purse of Thrippany Bits and we used to be given a Thrippany Bit each and we used to take it round to the sweet shop and get you know, a threepence worth of sweets and I used to buy loads of bubblegum, loved bubblegum.

My life was spent trying to blow the biggest bubble. You know, it was just like bubble competitions. I just, that taste. And now, if I have one now, I'm just amazed how sort of pathetic, how small they are. They felt so huge and great do you still do you eat chewing gum yeah i'm i do eat quite a lot of i'm in the car just

being in chewing gum i quite i like to chew alex ferguson yeah yeah i do like to chew if you were allowed to bring four comedians to a dinner party, who would you be inviting? Well, I had this opportunity once in America. Joanna and I went out to present an award at the Comedy Awards in LA. And it was run by this guy called George Slaughter, who was just a huge producer at the time. I mean, he was massive. Slaughter?

Slaughter. And Schlatter, probably it's spelled. I think they said George Schlatter, who was just a huge producer at the time. I mean, he was massive. Schlatter? Schlatter. And Schlatter, probably it's spelled. I think they said Judge Schlatter. And he was massive. He did Rona Martin's Laugh. He did lots of the big comedic shows. And he was producing the comedy awards. And we had to go on and give an award.

Was that that big there? Yes. Yes. And so we thought, oh, this is great. the comedy awards and we had to go on and produce and you know give an award big yes yeah and um and so we thought oh this is great and they put us up in you know beverly hills hotel and we would just have we just you know one of those moments we go this will never happen again enjoy live it enjoy it and joanna and i always have this thing like we knew the moment was there for the taking and we thought this will never happen again it'll pass so if it's a flight and it's champagne we'll go we say yes and it's we literally have that she said what is it it's presenting an awards is it a flight yes is it champagne yes we'll go because we thought this is the life we'll never lead again and we might as well do it and uh grasp the moment so we did and we got put up in this fabulous place limos everywhere and he

said you can have a we're throwing you a party we're having a party for you you can invite a table of your of guests okay and joanna was so sensible she invited people she knew. I thought, oh, oh my God. Oh, everybody I like. Oh God. All right. Um, I'd met Carrie Fisher a couple of times. So I said, Carrie Fisher, um, Lily Tomlin, uh, Roseanne. Um, I just started naming these people.

And they all came. And they came. And it honestly, I had nothing to say. I said, this is this table. Then you suddenly realise who you are. This is not their party. You are there. You're hosting this thing.

And I had Carrie next to me. And then, who was it? Who else was there? It was a terrifying array of people. Was it because you suddenly felt like you needed to be funny? I don't know. It's just they didn't. Americans aren't very good at jollying along sometimes.

You know what I mean? They are quite businesslike about this sort of thing. And it felt quite businesslike. and they're not great drinkers you know so Lily Tomlin was lovely and Laurie Metcalf was there who I knew and she again was quite nervous too and they were sort of nervous and a bit and I sat there just thinking why didn't I just ask people that I knew you know I mean it was it felt quite do you remember what you made I don't remember anything about it it sounds excruciating it was quite excruciating I just wanted it to sort of end and I could see Joana at her table oh darling you weren't on the same table

no no no no she literally she literally had her table and I had my table. And she was looking over to me and going, are you all right? I was going, no. Because Carrie is great, but she wasn't in a great place, I don't think, then. And she brought someone. And it was like one of those things where you go, when I invited these people, I imagined I had a personality. And now I have got no personality. And you thought, why, why have they come?

And they have come, not because of me, they've come because George Slaughter has got some muscle. And then that's going over in your head. They're here looking at me going, who? And oh my God, it was like awful i'm so sorry it's over it happened years ago but it was awful and that's why i always think your perfect dinner party has to be peopled largely with people you know and they can kind of take some that you that can take it and people that are also it's like when you're planning any party a wedding you go they'll be great next to

so and so because they're great talkers that's a great talker they're people that are good hosts you know and I hadn't learnt then how to I mean it was a few years ago hadn't learnt how to jolly.

I'll give you some. Pardon, darling. Would you like a little nougat? Yes, I'd love some. Okay. Thanks, Mum. Do you want me to take over and do that bit? No, darling.

I'd love some. Mum, this looks very beautiful. Should we do, shall I take a peek? Oh, this is delicious, because look at the figs. Oh, yeah, Mum. Oh, this is delicious because look at the figs. Oh, yeah, mum. That could be my... That was pretty good, mum.

That was like, because the things I like, nuts, figs. Not my recipe, Mario Bar. Oh, Mario Bar. Delicious. Absolutely lovely. I have watched some of your sketches on your lovely fan Instagram Oh kitchen tile isn't she amazing kitchen with kitsch mmm tiles yeah it's so so much thought do you know them I met her once she came over she's American and she started it she said she started with maybe she'd I mean she was it... I can't remember why she said she started it. Maybe she'd...

I mean, she was a fan. I can't remember why she started it. But she does it so brilliantly. I mean, I don't understand how you get things off a TV programme and put it through wires and it comes onto Instagram. I don't know how to do that. But she does it amazingly. It's fantastic.

She has footage that I've never seen. Where does she get it? How does she do it? fantastic she has footage that i've never seen where does she get it how does she do it don't know it's very clever it's very clever and what age is she is she young she's young she's i'd say she's in her late 30s mid 30s so it's quite a new yeah and she came to london not so long ago last year when I was in Blythe Spirit, and came and said hello and was just lovely. Is she going to come to sister that? I expect so. Yeah.

Jessie, are we going? Absolutely. Of course you're coming. And if you ain't up and dancing, I'm going to be pointing you out. I love it. Yeah, do you pray on the audience a bit oh I will up and down it's one of those shows

you can't not dance it's one of those things if you feel a bit miserable I'll put Sister Act on this afternoon the numbers are fantastic aren't they the singing too is incredible Beverly Knight is a very lovely woman she whipped me into shape when I lost my voice doing this BBC gospel thing with Tom Jones and Beverly.

And I'd lost my voice and she was like, right, this is what you're going to get somebody to get you. This Chinese kind of serum thing that you put, it was fully disgusting kind of lozenge. Anyway, if you lose your voice, she'll be making you get that and she'll get it in bloody Chinatown. May I don't lose my voice but she's very caring and very kind

I liked her a lot. How do you look after your voice? Well I don't know I I don't know but I've never lost my voice which I think is a good sign, touch wood You don't force your voice. You're not loud.

No, I'm not a very loud person. So I think, also we have radio mics, so you don't have to overdo it. Yeah. And my character isn't, I don't have, you know, you can choose to sing in character, which is sort of less singy. Are we going to see you in any more serious bits and bobs well there's this film called Hallelujah which is coming out next year

and the anniversary of the NHS so it'll be coming out in the spring that's my last piece of work I hope you send an advance copy to the podcast no no no to bloody Boris Johnson

oh yes your husband's quite political I follow him on Twitter yes he likes to shout a bit yeah good yeah what about your podcast with Dawn French we're doing another at some point there's another one coming out soon

this autumn I think it's coming out yeah it's coming out in the autumn thank you so much for coming here and eating There's another one coming out soon. This autumn, I think it's coming out. Yeah, it's coming out in the autumn. Thank you so much for coming here and eating. It doesn't have to be. We want to know whether you've got good table manners. I have got good table manners. Yeah, she is.

Look at that knife, that spoon and fork very closely together. And I'm quite sort of, I quite like good table manners. Because I think as kids we were sort of taught, you know. I'm not sure that I have as good as you. Elbow's on tables. Don't eat with your mouth full. Close your knife and fork at the end. Do you leave a bit on your plate for Mr. Manners? No.

That's what Joanna told us to do. I know she does that. A little bit. Always leave a little on your plate for Mr. Manners. A little bit for the angels, as Dolly Parton would say. Oh, is that? Oh. Leave a little bit for the angels. Oh Dolly Parton would say. Oh, is that? Leave a little bit for the angels.

Oh, man. We didn't know that about her, did we? No. Yes. So, and what can't you stand in somebody else with table manners? Do you know, I cannot bear the food coming out of their mouth. That's the worst of talking or laughing. Go to Israel and grace. And just go.

And you know when you actually, you subtly just put your hand over your glass because you can see it heading your way. Spitting, I think, is just, it's unnecessary and awful. It's if you eat and talk at the same time. Don't you think it's sometimes accidental? If it's accidental, I forgive it, but I have been next to people who you go, you're eating, finish the eating, but I have been next to people who you go, you're eating.

Finish the eating, then start laughing and talking. But it's spitting out. That, I can't bear. Jennifer, thank you for being on Table Man. Oh, thank you for having me. You're very calming. Do you know, I feel really relaxed. I feel like I've had a massage.

Yes. I feel really relaxed. I feel like I've had a massage. Well, I feel very calm. She's a very calming presence. I see her as a mother superior. Mother superior. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely, fabulously, lutely. Yeah, kind of that. Okay.

I really loved her. She was so warm. She was gorgeous, warm, lovely. And the food, Mum, tonight was delicious. Was it, darling? So good. What did you like the best? I loved the anchouillard.

Were they? Anchouillard. Anchouillard. Were they pre-bought breadcrumbs? Yeah. Marks and Spencer's. Made them a bit crispier, didn't they? Yeah.

I mean, I could have used kind of ordinary wet ones and it might have been a bit nice. No, I liked it. Yeah, I think it was crunchy. It was nice. It was like dry and delicious. No, it was nice, wasn't dry and delicious yeah no it was nice the braised fennel is that easy yeah how do you make it so you just put you kind of caramelize it with um some butter and some salt and a little bit of sugar teaspoon of sugar and then you put

I put two tablespoons of ouzo in and then a cup of half a cup of stock and half a cup of water. Bring it to the boil. Cook it for 15 minutes, then deglaze it by taking the lid off. But it was quite well done, wasn't it? Yeah, but isn't it supposed to be? Well, I quite like it like that. I really liked it. Yeah.

How many fennels? There was three there. Yeah, Jennifer Saunders just just what about the nougat the nougat was really did you like it did you like it it was really very good so easy really yeah simple simple what like whipped cream and nougat very little cream actually only 300 mil is that why it's called a semi-fredo? No, I don't know. I think it's because you just put it all together. But I think there were three or four eggs separated.

You bash the nougat and you just mix eggs, yolks with a tiny bit of sugar. Do you pour the sugar in the nougat? Yeah. Almost could do without the sugar. No, I'm not sure it would set. That's the only problem. And then it's just 300 mils, a very small tub of cream. And you just mix the egg yolks, the cream, with the cream. And then it's dead easy.

It takes like 10 minutes. I feel like I wasn't helpful with telling her what to eat for dinner before the shows, to be honest. I think she knows, darling. I think she can manage. Okay. Jennifer Saunders, go and see her in Sister Act, starring her, Leslie Joseph, Beverly Knight.

Which song does she sing in Sing? She didn't sing it, but it was there. Once there was a way to get back home again. It was in the first one. Oh, you're right. Yeah. The pollen is so high, they're giving warnings

that next week it was in The Guardian. But it... That's why I'm so wheezy. Really? Yeah. I keep on, like, getting a bit of pollen

in the back of my throat and it's like... Yeah. It's really bad this week. Thank you for listening. Thank you to the fantastic Jennifer Saunders.

She's like dame, isn't she? She's dame to me. Is she dame now? No, she's not, is she? It's only John Lumley who's a dame, I think. I think they should

give Jennifer a little dame. I do as well. Anyway, thank you for listening. We'll be back next week.