(Jon's Note: Incidentally, I wrote about that sketch here at the time. But I never wrote up a follow-up. I watched that particular sketch on Vimeo a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Now that my memory is jogged, I'll do a review of it on this blog soon.)
Earlier this week, Dawn French indicated via Twitter that she would be resurrecting "The Vicar of Dibley" for the BBC's Big Night In telethon. Big Night In was a joint Children In Need/Comic Relief charity fund-raiser for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it happened last night. It featured all sort of British television stars and celebrities and ended up raising over £27.3 million by the end of the three hour program. On top of that, the British government vowed to match all public donations!
Since I don't live in the UK, I resigned myself to the idea that I wouldn't be able to watch "The Vicar of Dibley" Big Night In sketch for a while. But then it showed up on my Facebook feed last night thanks to BBC One! Which was so exciting!
Here is the concept: Rev. Geraldine Granger reviews the church announcement's as she prepares for the church's weekly lock-down church service. Geraldine talks about her tidying efforts around the vicarage since Easter (which consisted of her eating mountains of holiday chocolate) and about her lock-down exercise routine (which consists of her doing a mild stretch). She informed the congregation about the Dibley Parish Council's most productive meeting ever. It seems that it was held via Zoom and none of the other Parish Council members could figure out how to join in! There were lot of other gags, but you can check those out for yourself.
The Vicar wraps up with the sketch with the following message for hope: "I will bid your farewell, and I would say to you, please be safe. Be kind, eat chocolate, praise the Lord, and praise the NHS. And God bless you for watching."