Dawn French has slammed Richard Osman over a remarkable coincidence in their novels.
The 65-year-old French and Saunders comedian published her debut novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, in 2010. It follows the Battles family, with each chapter presented from the perspective of a different individual.
Dawn believes the front cover of Pointless star Richard’s work was inspired by the book, which became a number one New York Times bestseller.
Speaking to The Guardian about his own debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, the TV presenter and comedian, 52, made comments about the iconic cover of the book being imitated.
Dawn, on the other hand, was keen to point out similarities between their debuts.
Posting pictures of the covers side by side, Dawn wrote on X (formerly Twitter): ‘*ahem… With MASSIVE respect to the v v clever @richardosman in #theguardian today… claiming his lovely cover is often imitated..Cover on left 2011. Cover on right 2020. You’re welcome…’
*ahem…
With MASSIVE respect to the
v v clever @richardosman in #theguardian today… claiming his lovely cover is often imitated..
Cover on left 2011
Cover on right 2020
You’re welcome… pic.twitter.com/4vsUXCcVcp— Dawn French 💙🔴🏳️🌈🇺🇦 (@Dawn_French) September 10, 2023
Both books have cream backgrounds with red and black, swirling letters, not to mention layouts that contain little creatures in the centre, with Dawn’s book including a dog and Richard’s featuring a fox.
Richard accepted the position cheerfully, remarking to Dawn, ‘Haha! I love how my little fox is looking remorseful over his shoulder at your little dog,’ she replied with a kiss emoji.
In an interview with The Guardian, he stated of his debut novel’s popularity, “Richard Bravery created the cover – so great, so iconic. Now everyone does the same.
‘We’re working on the next series. The two of us sitting there going, “We’ll show ’em. We’ll give them a different cover, a cover that makes them go: Ooooh, that’s what we need to copy now.”‘
The Thursday Murder Club is about four friends who gather once a week in a retirement community to investigate unsolved crimes. Their lives are flipped upside down and their talents are put to the test when a murder occurs on their doorstep.
It sparked a series of publications, including The Man Who Died Twice in 2021, The Bullet That Missed in 2022, and the forthcoming The Last Devil to Die.
Richard’s debut novel is being adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg, but he’s been keeping the facts a secret.
Fans have pulled together names such as Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Dame Judy Dench, and Julie Walters for the cast, with Richard hinting who may appear on the big screen.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show last year, he said: ‘The scripts are done. I am not allowed to say any names of actors that are in the frame but everyone we are talking to has been a guest on this sofa.’
Source My Celebrity Life.
