Dawn French is one of the country’s most famous comedy actors, but when she comes to Croydon she will not be hiding behind a funny woman persona, writes Matt Cooper.

Instead she is putting herself up for scrutiny on her first solo tour, which is somewhere between a monologue, a play and a slideshow.

She says: “It’s not a stand-up show. It’s not a play. It’s a slideshow to an extent.

“But not just a slideshow.

“It’s quite autobiographical, so I show you the people that have made me – so to speak.”

It is something she has always wanted to do, but waited until now because she was nervous about it.

She says: “I’ve always wanted to [do it] and I think I’ve dodged it a bit.

“Because I’m aware that it’s a risk.”

French is one of this country’s most famous comedians, having toured with friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, as well as starring in Coraline, the Vicar of Dibley and Harry Potter.

However, working with director Michael Grandage for the first time has meant the show is different to what she has done before.

She was desperate to work with Grandage, who ran the Donmar Warehouse for a decade until 2012, and he has made sure the focus is kept on her.

French says: “I could have asked Fatty Saunders, but I thought, ‘I’m actually going to ask a proper grown-up theatre person’.

“I keep saying to Michael Grandage, ‘I need to take this out,’ and he says, ‘Absolutely not, that’s the whole point.

“He says, ‘Do not push it away from you, absolutely own it and be completely strong and confident about that’.”

After going through a very public divorce from Lenny Henry in the media in 2010, after 25 years of marriage, French has a lot of material for the show entitled 30 Million Minutes.

Three years ago, French revealed that she had lost seven-and-a-half stone after she had a hysterectomy following a cancer scare.

She says she now finds eating very comforting: “It’s a lovely thing to do. We [her and her new husband] love tasting things.”

After her divorce from Henry she said she did not need a man, but then found happiness with Mark Bignell, who runs a charity which helps recovering drug and alcohol abusers reintegrate into society.

And they have recently just celebrated their first wedding anniversary.

She says: “It’s so new. It’s completely thrilling. It’s almost too delightful. I could almost burst with it.”

Dawn French - 30 Million Minutes; Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon; November 8, 7.30pm; £35 to £39.50; 020 8688 9291, www.fairfield.co.uk.