Our contessas of comedy didn't disappoint with this year's Christmas Special. Their movie spoofs are already the stuff of legend but their 'Star Wars' spectacular, subtitled 'The Phantom Millennium', was surely another classic. Jennifer Saunders did an uncanny riposte of Qui-Gon Jinn while Dawn French became Toby Jugs Kenobi. Then there was a fantastic Martine McCutcheon send-up by French, while Jennifer cleverly aped the crazed Melanie C (Sporty Spice).

The other sketches which punctuated the show featured French & Saunders' customary surreal living room chat and Dawn as a stroppy 'Diana Ross' aeroplane passenger to Jennifer's airport security officer. But the star of this show was always the movie send-up which with French & Saunders' acute observations, fantastic hair and make-up, surprisingly good special effects (did you check those lightsabres?) and a generous dollop of silliness made 'The Phantom Millennium' a treasure.

Guest appearances were made by 'Are You Being Served''s John Inman as the wicked Senator Palpatation and Jeanette Krankie as Anadin Skywalker.

The Schoolgirls also returned with a sketch which saw Emma (played by Saunders) leaving school with no plans to return... All in all highly entertaining. frenchandsaunders.com hopes to see today's homage in a new edition of 'French and Saunders Go to the Movies' soon.

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