Comedian Dawn French has revealed she once auditioned for a role in the film Mamma Mia, but was so nervous she could not sing.
It meant the French and Saunders star did not get the role that she claimed was “definitely in the bag”.
Speaking on the Graham Norton Show, French said: “I was asked to read for the part and was told it was pretty much mine, I just had to do a musical audition but it was definitely in the bag.
“Everyone at the audition was lovely and chatty with me until I sang.
“I was so nervous that I couldn’t sing at all – it was terrible and as I left the room, all those people that had been so lovely to me were just staring at the table and no one said a word.
“By the time I got downstairs my agent had texted to say, ‘This just isn’t going to work love’!”
A sequel to the hit film is due to be released in 2018, featuring many of its original stars including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfried.
French also spoke about the one-off Christmas special 300 Years Of French And Saunders.
300 Years Of French And Saunders – the duo's 30th anniversary special – is pencilled in 10:35pm on BBC1 on Christmas Day. https://t.co/43qZB1NCss pic.twitter.com/qLMEzQDlUW
— British Comedy Guide (@BritishComedy) December 3, 2017
She said: “We filmed in front of a live audience. The capacity of the studio was 300 people and 35,000 applied for tickets! There is life in the old girls yet!”
She was joined on the Graham Norton Show by Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain and Pitch Perfect actor Rebel Wilson.
The show will air on BBC One on Friday at 10.35pm.
