An exciting casting development for Sharon Horgan‘s forthcoming BBC3 show Dead Boss has been announced: comic legend Jennifer Saunders!

The Comic Strip and Ab Fab legend will be playing a prison governor, described as a “sexual Margaret Thatcher”.  Horgan’s character is that of an inmate falsely imprisoned for the murder of her boss – and Saunders is set to be a psychotic yet elegant enemy.

Formerly known as Life Stories and briefly known as Bitches, the show is one of two Horgan projects in development – with her collaboration with Julia Davis, Bad Sugar, also expected on screens shortly.

The links to TVO continue, as the show is being directed by none other than Steve Bendelack, who shot The Boosh pilot episode all those years ago.  Bendelack is perhaps best known for his work on The League Of Gentlemen, and one of The League, Jeremy Dyson, is on board as script editor too.

Dead Boss is not Saunder’s first foray into the realm of Onion Land, either.  Her last project with former partner Dawn French was Jam & Jerusalem, which featured Simon Farnaby in a prominent role, and the recent Absolutely Fabulous revival featured our very own Lucy Montgomery too!  Not only that, but her make-up artist of choice is none other than Christine Cant of Mighty Boosh and Luxury Comedy fame.  The ties of The Velvet Onion run deep indeed…

The series is expected on our screens in April.  Stay peeled for more info.