Dawn French’s sitcom return received lukewarm reviews upon its debut in January, but the show has been such a hit with viewers, it’s returning for another run.
Can You Keep a Secret? stars The Vicar of Dibley actor French as Debbie Fendon, a retiree whose reclusive husband William is declared dead by mistake and decides to hold out for his life insurance payout.
French appears in the series alongside Friday Night Dinner’s Mark Heap, Craig Roberts (Submarine) and Doctor Who’s Mandip Gill in the comedy, which premiered on BBC One in January.
The BBC has now confirmed that the sitcom will be back for a second series after bringing in an audience of over five million with its debut.
Sharing the news on Thursday (19 February), the broadcaster revealed that filming would take place later this year with the four main leads in the West Country.
“As chuffed as an actual chuff to hear that we have a second series!” French said in a statement. “More chance for Debbie to get her bossy boots on and create further havoc… hooray.”
While creator and writer Simon Mayhew-Archer added: “Making this series was a joyous experience. Comedy is a team game, and Dawn, Mark, Craig, Mandip and the whole cast and crew are dream collaborators.
“I love sitcoms and I want more of them on TV, so I am enormously grateful to everyone who has watched this show and taken the Fendons to their hearts. I hope our success will help even more comedy get made across the UK. It’s one of our national superpowers – and we need it!”
The sitcom marked the third biggest comedy launch on BBC iPlayer since 2024, with 3.3 million viewers tuning into the first episode over 28 days. It falls behind David Mitchell comedy Ludwig with 5.5 million and Motherland spin-off Amandaland with 4.3 million.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Despite its impressive viewing figures, Can You Keep a Secret? proved to be divisive among viewers when it aired last month. While some hailed it as a “genius” show full of “light-hearted hilarity”, others compared it to the critically-panned Mrs Brown’s Boys.
“#CanYouKeepaSecret makes Mrs Brown look like a comedy masterclass. Wish the bbc had kept it a secret!” one viewer wrote on social media.
Fans of the series were thrilled by its confirmed return, with one writing on X: “So happy, this is one of my favourite shows I’ve watched in years!”
Last June, French apologised for a controversial video she posted about the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestine. In a now-deleted video, she attempted to critique those supporting Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, saying in an exaggerated tone: “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no.
“Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us… and we want that land… and we have history… Those people aren’t really even people, are they?” After critics accused her of trivialising the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, French issued a lengthy apology, saying that she “clumsily used a mocking tone” and originally aimed to “mock and point the finger of shame” at “cruel leaders on ALL sides” of the war.
“My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal, unthinkable, unforgivable savage [attack],” she added. “My heart broke for the many innocent people and their families that were killed, tortured, raped and kidnapped. The fact that hostages are still held is utterly appalling.”
