Fiona Bruce has been one of the most famous faces on television for decades.
The 60-year-old television star was a journalist for the BBC, is the face of the Antiques Roadshow and hosts the political debate programme Question Time.
But away from the serious world of journalism and politics, Fiona appeared 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, arriving in the episode with her team for the judging show.
And more than half a decade later, she appeared alongside Dawn French in a Comic Relief special of The Vicar of Dibley.
Fiona Bruce has been one of the most famous faces on television for decades, but she is best known for her presenting appearances
She presents the BBC political programme Question Time and has to moderate heated debates between politicians and members of the public.
The church sitcom was initially broadcast sporadically from 2004 to 2007 and followed the lives of the quirky residents of the small village in Oxfordshire.
The series made a comeback in 2015 when the title character Geraldine Granger is interviewed for the position of bishop, but faces strong competition.
Other guest stars who appeared as contestants included One Foot In the Grave star Annette Crosbie, Gavin & 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 mistakenly assumed that Geraldine had gotten the job and recruited Fiona Bruce as their new vicar.
When Geraldine returns to the village, she meets Fiona and immediately slaps her in the face when she realizes that she is now unemployed.
Fiona admitted shortly after the broadcast that the fight was not originally in the script, but was an idea that Dawn had just before the cameras rolled.
She told Radio Times: “The punch wasn’t in the script, but when we were rehearsing it, Dawn said, ‘At this point I would definitely be so angry I would punch her.'”
“Richard Curtis (who created the show) told her to try it. But every time she did it, I had to laugh. I couldn’t keep a straight face.”
Fiona is also the face of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, but has not done much acting work 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 series made a comeback for Comic Relief in 2015.
A mix-up in the village causes the residents to recruit Fiona Bruce as pastor for Geraldine.
When Geraldine returns to the village, she is introduced to Fiona and immediately slaps her in the face after realizing that she is now unemployed
The cast of “Vicar of Dibley”, from left to right: John Bluthal, James Fleet, Dawn French, Emma Chambers, Gary Waldhorn, Roger Lloyd Pack and Trevor Peacock
Following this special broadcast, The Vicar Of Dibley returned for a series of special broadcasts during lockdown.
By this time, however, Emma Chambers, who played the dim-witted Alice Tinker, and Roger Lloyd Pack, who played the farmer Owen Newitt, had already died.
John Bluthal, who played council clerk Frank Pickle, died in 2018 at the age of 89, and Jim Trott actor Trevor Peacock died in 2021.
Following the death of Gary Waldhorn – who played Cllr David Horton – in 2022, James Fleet (Hugo Horton) and Dawn were the only surviving main cast members of the series.
