Dawn French is still suffering after recreating her iconic Vicar of Dibley puddle scene for the Paul O’Grady Show in 2009.
The 65-year-old British actress and comedian is best known for her role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom, which aired from 1994 until 2007.
Geraldine goes on a stroll in the countryside with a new lover in one episode, and the two decide to spend the time by jumping into puddles.
Unfortunately, one of the puddles Geraldine dives into is considerably deeper than it seems, drenching her almost entirely.
The scenario proved so popular with viewers that Dawn was invited to repeat it while guest-hosting the Paul O’Grady Show years later.
However, as she has recently disclosed, an incident during the recreation severely wounded her knee.
‘They constructed a 10 foot high hill out of scaffolding covered in astro-turf. The idea was that there was a long enough drop for me to disappear into.’
The Mail stated that she subsequently went into greater specifics about how the act left her potentially requiring surgery during a one-woman show in Exeter.
‘But what was I falling onto? The answer is nothing. Except for 10ft below there were two very thin crash mats in a film studio with a flat concrete floor.’
She told the audience: ‘Any fool would know this was a disaster in the making. Any fool but me. [That was] the last time I had two functioning legs.’
The French and Saunders actress then stated that she heard a ‘twanging noise’ before a doctor told her she needed a knee replacement.
Injections held the discomfort at bay for a while, but she ultimately caved and underwent the operation last year after battling through Death On the Nile filming sequences.
Dawn donned her outfit one more early this year to commemorate the life of Kris Hallenga, a cancer charity organiser who desired a “living funeral.”
The Vicar of Dibley is available to stream on ITVX with Premium.
