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Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes

Dawn French

BBC Four · 2016 · 1 h 56 min

A theatrical, autobiographical solo show from a British comedy favorite.

Dawn French has spent decades in the public eye as half of a famous comedy double act or in character on television, but she had never done a solo show until she crossed the 30-million-minute mark of her life. Rather than delivering a conventional club set of rapid-fire jokes, she presents a theatrical memoir that uses her family, her body, and her personal tragedies as material. She stands alone on a stage backed by giant projection screens showing home videos and family photos, talking about what it actually takes to be a functioning human.

Filmed during its West End run at the Vaudeville Theatre in London, the production represents a distinct turn for French’s career. Directed by Michael Grandage, the performance is heavily structured and autobiographical. She addresses major moments of her life with a blunt, dry perspective, including her struggles with IVF, the racist abuse she and former husband Lenny Henry endured, and the suicide of her father when she was nineteen. Notable segments include a self-deprecating examination of her own anatomy and her succinct summary of her divorce: “Stalemate. We’re stale, mate.” The show was warmly received by critics who appreciated her willingness to trade frantic sketch energy for a quiet, poignant intimacy.

The set list

4 bits

  1. A defiant dance routine set to MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This'

    Performs an empowering, joyful dance as a direct retort to muckraking, weight-obsessed journalists who scrutinize her body.

  2. The musical concept of a fermata

    Reflects on wishing she could flip a switch and pause time for an unspecified duration to catch up on daydreaming, reading, and kissing her dog on the lips.

  3. Wanting to be a bridesmaid for Aunt Joan

    Recounts childhood disappointment over her aunt having other wedding plans, juxtaposed with later serving as a bridesmaid alongside Jennifer Saunders for a Comic Relief wedding organized by Miranda Hart.

  4. Naming body parts

    Humorously refers to her own vagina as 'Mumford and Sons'.

How it plays

Tone
Bittersweet, poignant, honest, comedic, and infectiously empowering.
On stage
Warm, down-to-earth, candid, and self-described as three-quarters certifiably daft, one-quarter utterly bewildered, and the remaining quarter unable to do maths.
Pace
A dynamic balance of poignant personal storytelling, measured reflective pauses, and high-energy comedic physical set pieces.
About
stages of life and aging, body image and press scrutiny, family relationships and grief, life lessons

What the critics said

Critically acclaimed as a warm, funny, and deeply honest autobiographical show, praised for its emotional resonance and comic detail, though some critics noted it felt more like an illustrated lecture or motivational talk than traditional stand-up.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: bbc.co.uk, letterboxd.com, watch.plex.tv, imdb.com, comedy.co.uk, iview.abc.net.au, themoviedb.org.

Backstory

An autobiographical examination of her thirty million minutes of life to date—positioned humorously between menopause and dementia—covering her family, grief over her father's suicide when she was 19, and navigating intrusive media scrutiny over her weight.

Details

Released
Taped
West End, London
Runtime
1 h 56 min
Where
BBC Four
Director
Michael Grandage, Ed Bye
Topics

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