Royal Mail has revealed images of 12 stamps being issued to celebrate one of the UK’s most successful and award-winning comedy series, The Vicar of Dibley
The series, which ran on the BBC from November 1994 to January 2007, was set in the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley. Following the 1993 changes in the Church of England to permit the ordination of women, the series portrayed a female vicar who had been assigned to the church in the village.
Starring Dawn French in the titular role of the down-to-earth, witty and clever vicar, Geraldine Granger, the character was specially created for her by writers Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer. French was surrounded by a who’s who of seasoned TV professionals: Only Fools and Horses legend Roger Lloyd-Pack as fearsome farmer Owen; Emma Chambers as dotty verger Alice; floppy-fringed Four Weddings and a Funeral star James Fleet as the hapless Hugo; and TV veteran Gary Waldhorn as his domineering, aristocratic father, David.
It is among the most successful British programmes, receiving multiple British Comedy Awards, an International Emmy and was a multiple British Academy Television Awards nominee.
A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet, shows a Dibley Parish Council meeting.
David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “The superb writing and the warmth and idiosyncrasies of its characters made The Vicar of Dibley one of the most loved TV comedies of all time. We celebrate the series with new stamps revisiting some of the show’s classic moments.”
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order at www.royalmail.com/vicarofdibley and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps is priced at £20.10. The stamps go on general sale from January 14.
