“It won’t be pretty!” French and Saunders play the Ugly Sisters in Palladium panto | stage

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are set to return to the stage together for the first time in 17 years to play the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium pantomime.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” the famous duo predicted in an announcement released Tuesday. “We have wanted to play the ugly sisters for many years, and we feel like this is the fulfillment of a dream – a dream our hearts created.”

The duo began performing together nearly 50 years ago after meeting as students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. They collaborated on a hugely successful BBC comedy series and toured together in 1990 and 2000. Their last tour, French and Saunders: Still Alive!, was in 2008-2009 and they collaborated again on a podcast, Titting About, in 2020.

Michael Harrison, Producer of the Palladium Panto, said: “I’m thrilled that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will be starring in this year’s Cinderella. Having two of the country’s most beloved comedy icons together on the Palladium stage is so exciting. Their legendary chemistry and sharp sense of humor will make this a truly special experience for audiences.”

Dex Lee will play Prince Charming and Hope Dow has been cast as Cinderella. They will join Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Rob Madge, who have all starred in previous panto films at the venue. The Palladium revived the pantomime in 2016, for the first time since 1987, with Clary playing Dandini in a production of Cinderella that Michael Billington of The Guardian described as “a tsunami of smut”. Catherine Tate has joined the cast of her 2025 production of Sleeping Beauty, which Harrison said “broke all records at the London Palladium” with more than 137,000 theatergoers over its run.

French appeared as Queen Dragonella in Snow White at the Palladium in 2018 and returned as Mrs. Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk in 2022. Saunders made her film debut at the Palladium in 2023 as Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

Cinderella runs from December 5 to January 10. Tickets go on sale April 2.