Fiona Bruce has been one of the most recognizable faces on television for decades.
The 60-year-old TV star was a journalist for the BBC, is the face of Antiques Roadshow and chair of the political debate programme Question Time.
But outside the serious world of journalism and politics, Fiona starred in two of the most popular British sitcoms of all time.
In 2009, she starred in the Only Fools and Horses spin-off The Green Green Grass, in which she arrived with her team from the appraisal show.
And more than half a decade later she appeared in a Comic Relief special of The Vicar of Dibley with Dawn French.
Fiona Bruce has been one of the most recognizable faces on television for decades, but she is best known for her performances as a presenter
She presents the BBC’s political programme Question Time and has to moderate fierce debates between politicians and members of the public
The church sitcom initially aired sporadically from 2004 to 2007 and followed the lives of the eccentric residents of the small Oxfordshire village.
The series made a comeback in 2015 when title character Geraldine Granger was interviewed for the position of Bishop, but she faced stiff competition.
Other guest stars who appeared as contestants included One Foot In the Grave star Annette Crosbie, Gavin and Stacey actress Ruth Jones and Dawn’s writing partner Jennifer Saunders.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson is also in the running, but the people of Dibley wrongly assumed Geraldine had got the job and recruited Fiona Bruce as their new vicar.
When Geraldine returns to the village, she is introduced to Fiona, who immediately punches her in the face, realizing she is now unemployed.
Shortly after the show aired, Fiona admitted that the fight wasn’t in the script, but was an idea Dawn had just before the cameras started rolling.
She told the Radio Times: ‘The punch wasn’t in the script, but when we were rehearsing it, Dawn said, ‘At this point I’d be so angry I’d punch her.’
Richard Curtis [who created the show] told her to try. But every time she did, I had to laugh. I couldn’t keep a straight face.’
Fiona is also the face of Antiques Roadshow for the BBC, but has not done much acting in her on-screen career
Dawn French played the role of Geraldine Granger in the BBC series Vicar Of Dibley from 1994 to 2007 and the show made a comeback in 2015 for Comic Relief
A misunderstanding in the village leads the residents to recruit Fiona Bruce to take over Geraldine’s job as minister
When Geraldine returns to the village, she is introduced to Fiona and immediately punches her in the face after realizing she is now unemployed
The cast of the Vicar of Dibley, pictured left to right: John Bluthal, James Fleet, Dawn French, Emma Chambers, Gary Waldhorn, Roger Lloyd Pack and Trevor Peacock
Following this special, The Vicar Of Dibley returned once more for a series of specials during lockdown.
But by then, Emma Chambers, who played the dimwitted Alice Tinker, had died, as had Roger Lloyd Pack, who played farmer Owen Newitt.
John Bluthal, who played parish council secretary Frank Pickle, died in 2018 at the age of 89, and Jim Trott actor Trevor Peacock passed away in 2021.
After the death of Gary Waldhorn, who played Councilman David Horton, in 2022, James Fleet (Hugo Horton) and Dawn became the only surviving main cast members from the series.