Mark Heap and Dawn French sign up for new sitcom by ‘This Country’ writer

“At last, a sitcom where I can keep my top on,” French has said. “Mostly” 

Dawn French and Mark Heap are set to star in a new sitcom for the BBC titled Can You Keep a Secret?

The actors will play a married couple in the show, and when William Fenton, played by Heap (Spaced, Brass Eye) dies, French’s Debbie quickly moves through her grief and progresses on to thinking about the insurance payout.

That is because William is not in fact dead – a clerical error sees him declared as deceased when he is still alive. The couple take advantage of the situation, cooking up a scheme to claim a hefty payout, with William having to hide out in the loft for a few months until the money arrives.

The six-episode series will be directed by Simon Hynd (Ghosts, Motherland) and is written by Simon Mayhew-Archer (This Country).

“At last, a sitcom where I can keep my top on,” French said in a press release. “Mostly.”

“Can You Keep a Secret? hilariously delves into a rarely portrayed stage of the family life cycle, blending classic sitcom elements with an exhilarating farcical crime twist,” said Jon Petrie, director of BBC Comedy. “With Dawn French and Mark Heap leading the cast, this is an irresistible new comedy and I can’t wait for BBC viewers to see it.”

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No broadcast date has been confirmed for the show.

In April, French shared her opinions on cancel culture, saying, “We are expected to present ourselves as perfect.”

The comedian had been told to “catch up” after holding a podcast conversation about J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments about the trans community. “We’re all talking about inclusivity and favouring difference and all the rest of it,” she went on to say. “And that’s all great, I love the idea of that, but that’s not how we’re living.”

“We’re living the opposite of that – we’re massively intolerant, quick to blame, litigation, bullying and trolling and all of this dreadful stuff which has got nothing to do with understanding how other human beings operate.”

French continued: “We are people who know we make mistakes, we know we have shortcomings, we know all this stuff but because we are expected to present ourselves as perfect and only celebrate all the perfect things, it’s just wiped out any margin for error.”

“I don’t like that – I’ve never been cowardly, I hope, but I’m starting to be that because I’m being circumspect about what I will support or not in case it causes trouble.”