UKTV has announced that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will reunite on screen to author a brand new two-hour special for Gold, French and Saunders: Funny Women. Filmed on the set of their classic sketch show, the much-loved duo will discover and discuss all of the crucial and unforgettable female contributions to the pantheon of comic history across the globe.

From the very first trailblazers, to the acts who inspired a young French and Saunders, all the way up to today's generation of publicly adored and critically lauded stars, French and Saunders: Funny Women promises to be a warm, affectionate and illuminating celebration of women in comedy, presented as only French and Saunders could. French and Saunders: Funny Women is produced by Double Yellow Television.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders said: "Are women funny...? This is the thorny age-old question we have been chewing over since both of us were two years old and to date we still have no definitive answer. So in this programme we explore fifty thousand or so irrefutable examples to see if we can draw any blatantly predetermined conclusions..."

French and Saunders: Funny Women is commissioned for UKTV by Helen Nightingale, senior commissioning editor, and ordered by Gerald Casey, Gold channel director. Richard Watsham is director of commissioning, Steve North is genre general manager for comedy and entertainment. Executive producer for Double Yellow Television is Glen Middleham and the special is directed by BAFTA winning comedy director Barbara Wiltshire.

Helen Nightingale said: "I've always been a huge fan of French and Saunders, and to be able to bring them back together on Gold to celebrate the funny women who inspire them is a dream come true."

Gerald Casey said: "Gold viewers are absolutely passionate about comedy, so a show like this needs to have the right credentials. And who else on the planet is better placed to make it than two of our all-time comedy greats?"

French and Saunders: Funny Women joins several other high-profile UKTV Original commissions for Gold in 2021. Dawn French and Richard Curtis will be among the cast and crew remembering The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out while Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson reprise their roles as Dial M For Middlesbrough and Murder on the Blackpool Express amateur mystery solvers Terry and Gemma for Jason Cook's brand new three-part series, Murder, They Hope.

French and Saunders: Funny Women will air on Gold later this year.