Dawn French set for Vicar of Dibley comeback

Dawn French is set to bring back her well-loved ecclesiastical comedy character Geraldine Granger in a one-off Comic Relief special written by the sitcom's creator Richard Curtis, who co-founded the fundraising event with French's ex-husband Lenny Henry.

There is no official word on plotlines yet – a BBC spokesperson told the Mail Online: "There’s going to be a Dibley sketch for Red Nose Day on Friday March 13, but I can’t confirm anything further or provide any more detail at this stage" – but rumour has it the special would see Geraldine attempting to become the Bishop of Dibley. It would certainly be a topical subject, coming just weeks after the Church of England appointed Reverend Libby Lane as Britain's first female bishop.

This wouldn't be the first time the hit sitcom had resurfaced for a Comic Relief special – French and her co-stars returned in 2013, alongside Homeland actor Damian Lewis.

The Vicar of Dibley, starring Trevor Peacock, Gary Waldhorn, James Fleet, John Bluthal, Liz Smith and the late Roger Lloyd-Pack, originally ran between 1994 and 2007 on BBC1.