Can You Keep a Secret? is a British television sitcom created and written by Simon Mayhew-Archer and starring Dawn French and Mark Heap. The series premiered on 7 January 2026 on BBC One. In February 2026, it was renewed for a second series.
Contents
Premise
A retired couple, Debbie and William Fendon, living in the West Country of England are presented with a unique criminal opportunity to claim life insurance when William is mistakenly declared to have died. Their son Harry is caught up in the drama, trying to hide the secret from his wife Neha, who is a local police officer. The story revolves around the Fendons' attempts to figure out and stop whoever is blackmailing them for the money whilst hiding William, who has Parkinson’s Disease, from the public.
The premise is loosely based on the real-life John Darwin disappearance case.
Cast and characters
Main
Dawn French as Debbie Fendon
Mark Heap as William Fendon
Craig Roberts as Harry Fendon
Mandip Gill as PC Neha Fendon
Recurring
Sam Battersea as PC Susan Hinkman
Gregory Gudgeon as Pigfish
Geraldine McNulty as Pamela Anderson
Heather Seymour as Jean Cotterill
Shola Adewusi as Billie Codrington
Adam Drake as Marcus Marsden
Shivani Thussu as the Pharmacist
Mona Goodwin as Dr Samira Harper
Paul Chahidi as Clive Trunge
Ian Barritt as Geoff Varley
Production
The six-part series is created by Simon Mayhew-Archer and directed by Simon Hynd. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Mayhay Studios, and Big Talk Productions. Executive producers are Kenton Allen and Mayhew-Archer and the producers are Lauriel Martin and Joe Scantlebury. Toby Welch joined the project as an executive producer in January 2025.
Mark Heap and Dawn French were announced to be leading the cast in August 2024. The cast also includes Craig Roberts and Mandip Gill.
Filming began in the West Country in March 2025. Filming locations included Axbridge, Winscombe and Cheddar, Somerset.
On 18 February 2026, the BBC renewed the show for a second series. Production crews returned to film in Axbridge in late summer 2026.
Broadcast
The series premiered on 7 January 2026 on BBC One, with all episodes made available on BBC iPlayer the same day. In the United States, the series premiered on 12 February 2026 on Paramount+.
Reviews
The Guardian gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, with Lucy Mangan saying it has "charm, wit and warmth enough to work as soothing balm rather than riotously fun fare", while the Daily Telegraph said it was French's best work since The Vicar of Dibley. The Irish Times also gave a positive review, particularly pointing out French and Heap's characters.