Vicar of Dibley's Dawn French to star in new BBC1 sitcom

Vicar of Dibley 's Dawn French is to star in BBC One's Can You Keep a Secret? , billed as a farcical crime comedy.

The 66-year-old star, who played Geraldine Granger in the beloved comedy, stars opposite Friday Night Dinner 's Mark Heap in the series about a couple attempting an elaborate insurance fraud.

Dawn plays widower and granny Debbie Fenton, who loves bowls and behaving like a dictator to her long-suffering family. But the big twist is she's not actually a widower as her hermit-like husband William (Mark Heap) has wrongly been declared dead. In fact, he's hiding in the attic!

Rather than tell everyone the truth, they decide it would be best if William stayed dead until the life insurance pays out. But can the family keep the secret?

The BBC teases: "Just a few months hiding out in the loft waiting for the life insurance to pay out and then they can live out their golden years in peace.

"This all proves a bit much for their easily frazzled son Harry who — despite his emotional shortcomings — has managed to acquire a family of his own and a potentially life-changing insurance payout from his father’s 'death'. Reunited with a dad he's just buried and the reality that his parents have turned into a pensioner version of Bonnie and Clyde, Harry suddenly has a lot more to juggle. Sandwiched between two generations of toddlers, Harry finds himself navigating a very common stage of life — only this time, it's criminal."

The six-part series, set in the West Country, is written and created by Simon Mayhew-Archer ( This Country , Josh )

Dawn French says: "At last... a sitcom where I can keep my top on… mostly."

Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, says: " 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. 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."

Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios, adds: "Working with Dawn French has been a career-long ambition and to have her inimitable comedic brilliance join forces with the extraordinary Mark Heap and the Simons — Simon Mayhew-Archer and [director] Simon Hynd — is every producer's dream. We're delighted to welcome such talented creative minds into the Big Talk family and can’t wait for viewers to see this highly original family comedy in all its glory."

Can You Keep a Secret? is expected to air next year.