[letmein]

Comedy series Jam And Jerusalem is being axed by the BBC, ending the 24-year partnership between its writer Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French.

The pair, both 51, first rose to fame in ITV's Girls On Top in 1985 but took their final bow as a double act on stage in November 2008.

They continued with their last project, Jam And Jerusalem, but it is being cancelled after three series, a BBC spokeswoman said.

Saunders played upper-crust Caroline and French factory worker Rosie in the comedy, which took an affectionate look at life in a close-knit village.

The series, which also starred Sue Johnston and Sally Phillips, follows the antics of a Women's Guild in fictional Clatterford St Mary. The second series attracted three million viewers and the third won 4.2 million, despite being relegated to a graveyard slot.

Saunders reportedly admitted the BBC's comedy policy was the reason behind the duo's decision to stop working together. She said: "They are not making the kind of comedy we used to do " they want populist programmes. There isn't a budget to try more ambitious things."

French has said previously: "There was just this gradual realisation that maybe there are other things we'd like to do; maybe it's a young person's game."

Co-star Pauline McLynn, who played Tip Haddem in Jam And Jerusalem, wrote on her website: "For those of you who were wondering, it was the BBC's decision not Jen's " she loved writing that series as much as we loved loved loved being in it."

A BBC spokeswoman said: "Audiences have enjoyed three series of Jam And Jerusalem and the time felt right to make way for different ideas."


http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-e...rship-1.995618