The new comedy began shooting in late February in the West Country

Dawn French has begun filming BBC comedy Can You Keep a Secret? in the Bristol area, with Mark Heap, Craig Roberts and Mandip Gill.

This Country producer Simon Mayhew-Archer has written the 6 x 30’; it is a Big Talk Studios, Mayhay Studios and CBS Studios co-production for BBC One. Shooting got underway in the West Country in late February.

The sitcom was commissioned by Jon Petrie, director of BBC comedy. The executive producers are Kenton Allen, Mayhew-Archer, French and Toby Welch; the producers are Lauriel Martin and Joe Scantlebury and the director is Simon Hynd.

The commissioning editor for the BBC is Tanya Qureshi. Can You Keep a Secret? is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Big Talk Studios is part of ITV Studios.

French plays strong-willed widow Debbie Fendon – a granny who will stop at nothing to protect her family.

When her hermit-like husband William (Heap) appears to die unexpectedly, she makes an preposterous decision that will put the family under more pressure than ever: that she and William, who was mistakenly declared dead, hide out in the loft waiting for the life insurance to pay out…