And hello to the diva of Dibley

As the irreverent reverend Geraldine Granger, she is more used to cassocks and dog collars.

But wearing a silver wig and dressed in what appears to be a pair of lilac-trimmed curtains, this is Dawn French making her opera debut.

The 47-year-old Vicar of Dibley star is currently performing at the Royal Opera House in a non-singing cameo role in Gaetano Donizetti's 1840 comic opera La Fille du Regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment).

Miss French plays La Duchesse de Crackentorp in the opera, which tells the story of a baby who is found on a battlefield and adopted by a regiment of soldiers.

Miss French's popularity - The Vicar of Dibley was the most watched show on Christmas Day - means that tickets for the production are in high demand.