From this Sunday Jennifer Saunders will be hosting a new series aiming to ‘demystify’ opera for novices on Classic FM called From Couch to Opera House (In 7 Weeks).
Saunders was inspired by her experience with opera last year for Comic Relief, in which she sang aria Nessun Dorma, alongside Funny Women Awards winners Andi Osho and Jayde Adams as well as Caroline Quentin and Alex Brooker, to present the seven-part show.
“After dipping my toe into the world of opera last year for a wonderful charitable cause and the English National Opera, I’m thrilled to present this new series on Classic FM without having to actually sing”.
Spanning five centuries of opera, from Claudio Monteverdi in the early 17th Century to Stephen Sondheim in the 20th, the series will be a whirlwind tour of the genre.
Philip Noyce, Classic FM’s managing editor, said: “One of our central aims at Classic FM is to make classical music available and accessible to everyone, so I’m thrilled that we’re working with someone of Jennifer’s calibre to help us challenge any preconceptions about what opera is and who can enjoy it.
“Our series will inform, it will entertain, and it will pack an emotional punch – just like a night at the opera, in fact!”
The series launches at 9pm on Sunday on Classic FM
