Fran Drescher Reveals ‘The Nanny’ Was Based on a Real Incident Involving Twiggy
What To Know
- Fran Drescher co-created ‘The Nanny’ after being inspired by her experience caring for Twiggy’s 12-year-old daughter during a visit to London.
- The idea for the sitcom stemmed from the humorous, unorthodox dynamic between Drescher and the child, which reminded her of a modern twist on ‘The Sound of Music.’
- Drescher pitched the concept to CBS with her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, leading to the creation of the beloved ’90s series.
Fran Drescher is making waves for her role in Marty Supreme, but for longtime fans, she’ll always be known as Nanny Fran Fine on the beloved ’90s sitcom, The Nanny. The story of a cosmetics saleswoman from Flushing, Queens, who becomes the nanny for the wealthy Sheffield family delighted primetime audiences during its six-season run on CBS.
But did you know it was actually inspired by a true story?
Drescher, who co-created the hit series, conceived the idea while visiting another icon, Twiggy, in London.
The two once starred together in a short-lived sitcom titled Princesses, which followed three mismatched roommates in New York City, including a ditzy English teacher (Julie Hagerty), an outspoken saleswoman (Drescher), and a naive, widowed English princess (Twiggy).
Mario Casilli/TV Guide/©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection
While the sitcom didn’t last long, the friendship did, and when Drescher was visiting the former supermodel’s family in the U.K., she got to know her preteen daughter. “He and her husband were working, so I ended up with her 12-year-old daughter, schlepping her all over London with me so I would have a companion to go touring with,” Drescher told People.
“She all the sudden says, ‘Oh Fran, my new shoes are hurting me,'” recalled Drescher in a proper posh accent. “And I’m thinking, why is she telling me? Does she want me to take her home? Cause I’m not ready yet. So I said, ‘Oh honey, just step on the backs of them.’ And she said innocently, ‘Won’t that break them?’ And said, ‘Break them IN!'”
“I just couldn’t get this unorthodox relationship between an adult and child out of my head, because I wasn’t telling her what was good for her, I was telling her what was good for me! I didn’t want to sacrifice my afternoon for her. I wanted her to break her shoes so I could keep touring London,” revealed Drescher.
“So I called Peter [Marc Jacobson, her then-husband and co-creator of the show] — I already told him I ran into Jeff [Sagansky, the then-CBS President] and he said we can pitch something — so I said, ‘I think I have the idea,'” recalled Drescher. “‘What do you think about a spin on The Sound of Music, only instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door?”
“And he thought for only a moment, and said, ‘That’s it. That’s the show we’re going to pitch to CBS,” said Drescher.
And from that fateful afternoon, thanks to a pair of uncomfortable children’s shoes, Nanny Fine was born.
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