Dawn French hits back at Vicar Of Dibley row over Black Lives Matters plot

Dawn French, 63, has dismissed critics who attacked the inclusion of a Black Lives Matter plot in an upcoming Vicar Of Dibley special episode.

Dawn, who plays Reverend Geraldine Kennedy in the ever-popular show, dismissed the criticism, tweeting: “A lovely calm day, full of humanity and support all round.”

The Cornwall-based star then clarified that she was “being a tad ironic”, after actor Laurence Fox raged: “A sermon from the high altar of the church of moral superiority, the BBC.

“This virtuous false enlightenment allows them to ignore the charter to educate the great unwashed. Do your job! #DefundTheBBC.”

Last night the BBC aired the first of three mini-episodes set in the fictional village of Dibley in Oxfordshire.

One of the two remaining ten-minute shows, which each air after a repeat of a classic episode, will tackle the BLM protests that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of American police earlier this year.

Viewers will see Dawn’s character emerge from lockdown to take in some fresh air before she takes the knee while addressing “this Black Lives Matter thing”.

She says: “I don’t think it matters where you’re from. I think it matters that you do something about it because Jesus would, wouldn’t he?”

The character continues: “Until all lives matter the same, we are doing something very wrong.

“We need to focus on justice for a huge chunk of our countrymen and women who seem to have a very bad, weird deal from the day they’re born.”

She is then seen taking down two old posters, and replacing them with a home made Black Lives Matter poster.

The character is said to say: “I think that in Dibley perhaps we should think about taking down some of these old notices like this and that and perhaps we should put up one like this instead.”

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Dawn FrenchGeorge FloydLaurence FoxGeraldine KennedyBBC