Jennifer Saunders Returns

as Vivienne Vyle in a new Britcom debuting on both BBC-2 and BBC-America in 2007.

The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle is Jennifer’s comedic sideways swipe at the talk show format. It’s Ab Fab meets The Larry Sanders Show with quite a bit of Ricki Lake and Oprah thrown in. Vivienne Vyle (Jennifer Saunders), hosts Britain’s most loved, talked about live therapy show – and is not afraid to dispense her frank advice with abandon.

Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Gideon’s Daughter) plays producer, Helena. She’s endlessly creative and hyperactive and harbors big plans for Vivienne.

The idea for the series originally came from Dr Tanya Byron, presenter of BBC AMERICA’s Little Angels, a clinical psychologist who’s been involved in television documentaries on human behavior. “She presented the idea for a comedy on the subject to Jennifer, the aim being a black comedy with pop psychology at the root,” says producer, Jo Sargent.

“At the start of the show Vivienne’s a medium-sized fish, with ambitions to make it big. She’s quite a vulnerable person really. Behind her public, ‘tell it like it is’ façade, is an insecure, easily hurt individual. She’s beginning to question how much she wants the success. But then her ratings soar, and her ego begins to expand in line with her audience figures,” adds Sargent.

Sounds like a definite improvement over last year's Jam & Jerusalem (US title: Clatterford), a single camera half-hour shot on location in a quirky small town. It failed as comedy & as drama.

I have higher hopes for VV.