And I think that's what people find odd, because if you're blank they don't know what to think.' What she was actually feeling most of the time, she says, was shy.

A sort of blankness, that's what it is, it's a blankness. 'Oh, everyone's always going, 'Jennifer, they think you're frightening.' But what could possibly be frightening? They'd go, 'Well, because you don't smile an awful lot.' But I've had that face since I was a kid, actually. I interviewed her at the Cannes film festival in 2004 and found her aloofness fearfully intimidating, but when I admit as much she bursts out laughing, and says people have been telling her that since her teens. The irony is that for 30-odd years Saunders often looked as if that's exactly what she was thinking. And I could have been thinking that for 30 years.' I looked round and thought, for God's sake, you're all idiots. I don't know what suddenly clicked, but something just suddenly clicked, and, you just think, 'Oh, I'm fed up of this'. I probably can't do this, I probably can't do that. 'That you end up thinking, oh look, everyone's cleverer than me. How could it have taken the comedian so long to realise this? 'It's terrible, isn't it?' she laughs. And it hadn't occurred to me until then that that could ever happen.' And I suddenly thought, actually, I think I can make this funnier, I think I know better. Before that, if they'd said anything, I'd go, yes, yes, that's right, yes, agree, agree, agree. 'I was sitting in a meeting listening to everyone talking about some show or other, and I suddenly started thinking, do you know something? I think I have a better idea. W hen Jennifer Saunders was approaching 50, she had an epiphany.

Bonkers by jennifer saunders