Sunday ` brought to you by Mazda. Tonight on Sunday ` capturing on camera the gifts of unique children. When people asked, 'What's wrong with her?' how did you respond to that? I said, 'Well, actually she has superpowers.' Focusing not on what's wrong, not even on what's right, but what's extraordinary. What do you see? What do you see? Amazingness. Cheers, darling. Cheers, darling. Cheers. And French and Saunders ` comedy royalty. You can't smoke that much. You can't be shown to drink that much. (LAUGHS) I mean, honestly! Copyright Able 2014 Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. 4-year-old Mela is a happy wee soul. She wants to smile but can't. Mela was born with a paralysed face. Her images are among thousands captured by award-winning Timaru photographer Rachel Callander for an upcoming book about children with genetic disabilities. But far from focusing on what's wrong with these kids, Rachel zooms in on what she calls their special gifts ` their superpowers. Janet McIntyre reports. Oh my gosh. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Mela? Mela was born never to smile. Gorgeous, Mela. She has a depth in her eyes. Because she doesn't speak very much and because she doesn't smile because her face is paralysed, but these eyes ` that's what she uses to engage and connect with. Jared has no arms but is a bundle of joy. Jared ` oh my gosh. He just giggles and laughs and loves being tickled. Come on, Louie. < (LAUGHS) Louie smiles only on his terms. CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS He's just allowed to be himself. They're different, unique. They speak a language of their own. I... (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) < I don't know what we're having for dinner tonight. Rachel Callender, through her lens, wants to see not what's wrong with these children, not even what's right, but what's extraordinary. What do you see? > What do you see? > Amazingness. Yeah. To not see that amazingness I think is really sad. Like, people really miss out if they don't get to engage, or they can't engage. Can you hear the click? No, you can't go out there. Six years ago, Rachel and her husband, Sam, had no experience of disability. Very sociable. I can take him anywhere. And how do they interact with each other? They met as students at Otago. Rachel majored in fine arts before she found what, for her, was an unexpected niche ` wedding photography. I didn't respect it. I didn't... I didn't think wedding photography was very good. I thought it was a bit commercial. Until she actually shot a wedding. I just loved it. And after just two years, capturing life's most optimistic of moments, she claimed the title 'wedding photographer of the year'. Actually, I think it's one of the hardest, most challenging areas of photography you can do. It's fashion, and it's landscape, it's close-up, it's macro, it's moments, it's documentary. It encompasses every kind of genre of photography in one day. Then along came Evie. Tell me about your pregnancy. Was there anything to be concerned about? No, not to start with. And then at the 20-week scan, um, they found that her little kidney ` little left kidney ` was a bit inflamed, and so they wanted to keep an eye on that kidney. And so I thought, 'Oh, that's cool. They've got a plan. We'll just roll with it.' We were very calm. I loved the bump and I loved that sensation of her moving around. And she was born, and she was amazing. Evie was fine until she was 6 hours old, then she stopped breathing. Sam and Rachel were told to expect the worst. We were on this roller coaster, and they said, 'We need to do some more tests. We need you to spend as much time with her as possible.' I remember just looking down at this little child ` this beautiful little girl with a head full of hair and so tiny ` just not being able to imagine her not being there. It was just so weird. (COOS) Sam and Rachel later learned Evie had a chromosomal defect so rare, it didn't have a name. Come on, give me your hand. Doctors told them she wouldn't walk, wouldn't talk, wouldn't thrive; she wouldn't live for long. Do you want help with the wheel? But they decided to focus on what Evie could do. Yeah, that's it. That's it. Yeah, she touched people. She was just amazing and these big, deep eyes. And when she did learn to giggle and laugh, it was just the most magical thing in the world. Oh! Oh! (GIGGLES) How aware of the world was she, do you think? How aware of the world was she, do you think? Extremely aware, yeah. Yeah. The more we look back on videos and photos of her, the more we just know she knew exactly what was going on. She had this thing, ironically, about cameras. Didn't like cameras, so it was` And she could spot them across the room, no worries. Rachel being a photographer loved taking photos of Evie, but as soon as she spotted that her photo was being taken, she bottom-lip pouted. Through Evie, Rachel and Sam came up with the notion of superpowers. We got a little bit tired of explaining her medical condition because to us that's not who Evie was. Evie was this beautiful child that had these amazing abilities that other children didn't have, and she did things differently. She didn't walk, but she scooted around on the` on the floor on her back, and that's how she did life. I was, like, 'That's an amazing ability.' You're gonna go down the stairs. (LAUGHS) When people asked you, 'What's wrong with her?' how did you respond? I say, 'Well, she has superpowers.' We would come out straight and say she has superpowers. They're, like, 'Oh, really?' I'm, like, 'Well, yes.' They're, like, 'Oh, really?' I'm, like, 'Well, yes.' ALL LAUGH 'Let us tell you.' And then people, you know, they're, like, 'Yeah, look at her. She's amazing. 'What amazing eyes she has, and look at that amazing` She's got this beautiful aura.' So would you also confront the reality of what her condition meant? So would you also confront the reality of what her condition meant? Definitely. Yeah, definitely. So it's not a kind of a glossing-over thing and forget about all the other stuff, but it was just a way of... I guess normalising it or balancing that negative, hard medical... stuff. The hard medical reality of Evie's condition meant she lived only two and half years, but her legacy might endure for decades. Three years on from when Evie passed away at the age of 2�, we have launched the Super Power Baby Project. It's going to be a photographic book of children from all around NZ with superpowers. Sam and Rachel hit the road. After raising $90,000 in just one month on PledgeMe, they had the means to secure the book project. Which was just phenomenal. Rachel went up and down the country photographing children with chromosomal and genetic defects ` 75 superpowered kids. Some of these parents have never thought about their children in those ways, and they said, 'Oh, it's so nice and refreshing to be able to write something positive about my child,' when they're so used to medical stuff on the fridge that's about this and fixing that and all of the things they can't do and, you know, working on stuff. < There you go. There's nothing worse than a mum saying to you, 'Is he rolling yet?' (LAUGHS) I'm kind of, like, 'Um, well, he's really sociable. He is flirting with Ward 26B,' you know? And I just try to flip it because I'm, kind of, like, it's` I don't want to get caught up in this, um` of what he can't do, yeah. BABY-TALKS: Hi, baby. Hi, baby. > He's changed myself and my husband. We're definitely so much more compassionate. (LAUGHS) < That's awesome. You are so gorgeous, Mela. > I got fixated as well on the fact that I wouldn't see my baby smile. That was really really tough. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) < Food? Yeah, what type of food? What do you have`? (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Yoghurt. That doesn't matter, eh, Melly? You smile with your eyes, don't you, beautiful? GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC In the course of living with and losing Evie, Rachel discovered it was her own genetic make-up that led to Evie's condition. She and Sam made a tough decision. We decided quite early on that with Evie because things were so difficult and we wanted to put all our energy into her, that having another child even, you know, accidentally or` would've been just too hard. So we've decided not to have more children. Yeah. So what are the chances of you having a baby with this condition again? I think it was about 60%. I think it was about 60%. A 60% chance? > I think it was about 60%. A 60% chance? > Mm, yep. Odds you weren't willing to take on? Odds you weren't willing to take on? Well, we're still on that path. It's not a definite no. We may choose to adopt later, but we won't have any more of our own children. He's so expressive with his eyes. But Evie has inspired all this ` thousands of photographs, a book in production ` I love his attitude in this one. Look at that face. He's got his bike, and he's the man. pictures that challenge terms like 'retardation', 'failure to thrive' and incompatibility with life'. These amazing children come into the world, and they're, like, 'Here we are. This is us.' And we're saying, 'Awesome. Isn't that brilliant? That's wonderful. 'Let's see what you can do in life. What's your journey gonna take you on? 'How are you gonna change your family? What can we learn from you?' Yeah. GENTLE MUSIC Oh. Rachel's book, The Super Power Baby Project, is due out at the end of July. Can't wait to see it. Up next ` French and Saunders ` 20 years of comedy and why they work so well together. That's what it is with Dawn, it's the friend you can play pretend with. # You know you make me wanna shout. # I think that's what people buy into. They're enjoying your friendship, you know, and because they can trust the act because they know you trust each other. Welcome back. They're absolutely fabulous and absolutely funny. Jennifer Saunders' best mate is Dawn French. Together they're the golden girls of British comedy, with their TV sketches pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable and hilarious. Here's Ross Coulthart with French and Saunders. Everything is just 'so' at The Savoy. GLASSES CLINK GLASSES CLINK Here's to your good fortune. Cheers. GLASSES CLINK Here's to your good fortune. Cheers. Cheers, darling. Cheers, darling. The champagne's perfectly chilled,... Ah! Ah! Ah. Smashing, isn't it? Nectar. Isn't that nectar? ...the tea perfectly brewed,... I know, tea and scones at The Savoy. I know, tea and scones at The Savoy. How very British. I know, tea and scones at The Savoy. How very British. Very very posh, we thought. ...and the pet dog allowed. This must be Olive. This must be Olive. This is Olive... Olive the whippet. Olive the whippet. ...who's with us today. Olive the whippet. ...who's with us today. Cheers. But, then again, they are the grand dames of English comedy. DOORBELL RINGS DOORBELL RINGS Who is it? Dawn French. Your comedy partner. Dawn French. Your comedy partner. CRASH! Who came up with the name 'French and Saunders', because at one time, > you were thinking of calling yourself 'Kitch and Tiles', weren't you? > Thank God you didn't. Thank God you didn't. I know. I mean, thank God we didn't call us... Hello, Olive. I am still doing this interview with this nice man. Go and find a sandwich, Olive. I'm sure there is one in a rubbish bin somewhere. Um, no, Alexei Sayle came up with 'French and Saunders'. AUDIENCE GASPS How long have you been in there, Jennifer? She can't hear me, ladies and gentlemen. < There's the very early pictures of you on one of the DVDs I was looking at. You look so sweet and so young. Yes, well, we were then. (LAUGHS) How long have you been in here? How long? You met Dawn at Central Drama School, didn't you? You met Dawn at Central Drama School, didn't you? Yes. Um, We eventually shared a flat together. There must have been a day when we just decided to make something up. I think we made up a song, or we used to dress up as fake punks and try and frighten people. Lord, I don't know how you're going to do this, but please help Jennifer to be funny tonight. All right. Let's kick arse. Go! All right. Let's kick arse. Go! ALL WHOOP # French and Saunders. # French and Saunders. # In 1987, French and Saunders began a 20-year run on the BBC. < It was a big thing for the BBC of the day to take an experiment on two unknown young women to have their own comedy show. to have their own comedy show. Yeah, and they were nervous about that to begin with. Sexy Sue in her slippers. She's looking for something more substantial to keep her warm at night` Let's have a look at her. Let's have a look. Whoa! She's begging for it. I could give her one. Well, I'll give her two. Ohhh. Luckily, the BBC then was quite an experimental place, and they were prepared to take a punt. BOTH TALK EXCITEDLY Look at this one! One of the things you say about Dawn is that, 'On my own, I would have struggled to find a voice, > 'but when I was with her, there was always somewhere to go with a joke.' Did she bring you out of yourself? Definitely, completely. It's like when you find... I mean, the few times in my childhood when I used to have a best friend that you could have a really great rapport with, that you would invent things with, that you could play pretend with, and that's what it is with Dawn. It's the friend you can play pretend with. LULU: # You know, you make me want to shout. # I think that's generally what people buy into in a double act is the fact that you're friends and they are enjoying your friendship, you know, and because they can trust the act because they know you trust each other. There's nothing worse than watching two people pretending to get on. It's always being written about you that Jennifer Saunders is very very shy. Are you? Um, I was for a long time. Something happens when you, sort of, hit 50. You just don't care any more? You just don't care any more? You just don't care, and, I think, I mean, I did used to be very shy, and a sort of sense of just not being interesting enough constantly. Tell me about those early childhood days. What was it like? Well, my father was in the air force, which meant that we were posted at different places every two or three years, so I went to about seven different schools. And I learnt, when I went to each new school, to blend in. I am a 'blender-inner'. Like Jennifer, Dawn's dad was also in the Royal Air Force. < You were constantly having to make new friends. < You were constantly having to make new friends. Yes. < Is that why you became funny? < Is that why you became funny? Um, I don't think it's the only reason, but I think it helped. But, certainly, when you're moving around a lot, which I did in my childhood, you have to make new friends all the time. And if you're moving constantly, in order to break the ice with a whole lot of new faces, you often use humour? I suppose you do but I don't think I did. I think I became, like I said, a 'blender-inner'. I could work people out, work where to sit in the class, work how to get on with the bad girls, but still remain, sort of, friends with the nice girls, you know? Is that a spider on your lip, miss? Oh no, it's just a big hairy mole. I thought it was a spider. Miss, excuse me, do you use a mouthwash or not, miss? Yeah. Cos it's nice to have a clean, fresh mouth, isn't it, in classroom, miss? Yeah. (WHISPERS) Miss? Miss?! Are you a lesbian? At this stage, you were starting to have children, weren't you, through the '80s? > Yes, I had my first child in 1986. And how were they reacting to your fame? The growing fact that Mum's... And how were they reacting to your fame? The growing fact that Mum's... Well, they don't even know. I mean, my daughter Beattie came home from school one day, and she was looking at me really oddly, like... And I said, 'What is the matter?' And she went, 'Are you Jennifer Saunders?' And I said, 'Well, yes, sometimes I am,' and she went, 'Oh, someone at school said that's who you were, and I said, 'No, you are just Mummy.' It's so wonderful for me to finally know that every atom in my body, that I am absolutely perfect. I'm almost unbelievably beautiful, aren't I? Are you? Are you? Yes, I am. Yes. After the break, when even the serious stuff makes her smile ` Jennifer Saunders on dealing with her breast cancer diagnosis. I think I'm quite good at not panicking about things, and I do like doing what I'm told, you see. You can't procrastinate in not having chemotherapy, so it's like, 'Well, that pressure's off me.' 4 I think at around the early '90s, Dawn and Lenny Henry got the lovely news that they were able to adopt a daughter, and so for the first time in almost a decade, your creative partnership with Dawn went different ways, > and you were basically looking for something to do, and along came` My agent was looking for something for me to do. I was happy pottering about. # Wheels on fire. # And along came the concept of Absolutely Fabulous. How did it happen? We had done a sketch, me and Dawn, where I played the, sort of, Edina character,... Are you happy? Yes, I'm fine, Mum. I've just got to finish this` Yes, I'm fine, Mum. I've just got to finish this` I know. I know. Sssh, sssh. 'And Dawn played the daughter, the Saffy character.' Oh, why don't you come to Greece with us this year, darling? Mum, I've already told you. I really don't want to go, OK? 'And I did most of the talking, and I thought, "I like that character. '"I can do that sort of talking. I can do most of that talking, so if that became a show..."' And I asked Dawn if that was all right, you know, because it was half her creation, and she said, 'Yeah, go for it.' Is it because you don't want to be seen in a swimsuit, darling? Is it because you don't want to be seen in a swimsuit, darling? Mum! It's not funny, is it, darling?! And so I just went on writing. And you scribbled it all down in an A4 notebook. And you scribbled it all down in an A4 notebook. Yes, it was before computers. Where have you been? Where have you been? What do you mean where we've been? Marilyn Manson concert. Where else? We've been mosh-pitting it. Eddie, I'm a mosh queen! Yeah, I'm a mosh queen. I'm a mosh queen. Oooh. Ow. Ow. What did you do? What did you do? She tried to crowd surf and the tide went out. Were you daunted about bringing somebody like Joanna Lumley into a show like this because she is such a star? > It's great, though. And that's what's lovely. I love writing for people you know can do it. I love it. I love it! Darling! Darling! No, no. Wait until I turn it on. Darling! Darling! No, no. Wait until I turn it on. Oh. On their own, they are quite sad people. > On their own, they are quite sad people. > Terribly. Really sad. Can you tell her not to speak when she's that close. I can feel her dog breath on my neck. And Patsy's bitter and` > And Patsy's bitter and` > She's so twisted. Not a nice person. Why does the relationship between the two work so well? I think because what you see is you see this friendship that is... They only exist as a whole if they are together, really. Apart, they really don't have any purpose in life at all. Oh, darling, look, throw a couple of B's down. Everything will look much rosier, darling. Oh my God, there is something horrible on the stairs! Oh my God, there is something horrible on the stairs! It's me. I'm not blind. What are those pills? What are those pills? Don't question me. What are those pills? Don't question me. Mum? Darling, they're just hormones so I can breastfeed the Romanians when they come here. The interesting thing about Ab Fab is, I think, Roseanne bought the rights, > but it's never been tried in the US, has it? > No. I mean, she bought it, but they literally said, 'You can't smoke that much. You can't be shown to drink that much. 'You can't have cocaine around your nose.' I mean, honestly! What puritans! # Fly, fly like a butterfly. # As soft and gentle as a sigh. # One of the most important things in your book is the revelation that you've seen Dolly Parton's breasts. > that you've seen Dolly Parton's breasts. > Yes, I have. How did that happen? > How did that happen? > It was bizarre. It was so bizarre. I went out for dinner with Roseanne, and she said, 'Hey, Dolly Parton is in the restaurant. 'Do you want to meet Dolly Parton?' And I went, 'Mm, yes, please!' And they started talking about their tattoos, and Dolly went, 'Do you want to see mine?' And we went, 'Yeah, you've got tattoos? Dolly Parton ` tattoos?' And she literally just opened her top. And they are on her breasts? > And they are on her breasts? > Yeah, and she wasn't wearing a bra, let me tell you that. Um, opened this little jacket and they were... there were the most beautiful angels and beautiful butterflies and baskets of flowers in pastel-coloured tattoos. # That is like a butterfly. A rare and gentle thing. # I am like that. Like, going, 'Can't believe this happened,' and she kept saying, 'This will go no further, OK? This will go no further.' So you put it in your biography. > So you put it in your biography. > So I put it in my biography. POIGNANT MUSIC The interesting thing about your getting breast cancer is you've been very very open about it, and you were very stoic all the way through. You actually coped extremely well with it. Yeah, I did, I did. But I think it's just how you're designed, and I think that's how I'm designed. Like, in the book, I say I think I would be very good in a war, you know? I think I am quite good at not panicking about things, and I do like doing what I am told, you see? Suddenly, there is a person who is mapping out your life for you for the next year, and so you've suddenly got a plan of action that you don't have to do any work for. It's like the best thing. You can't procrastinate not having chemotherapy, so it is like, 'Oh, that pressure's off me.' Did you fear you were going to die? Was it that serious? Um, no, I didn't. I thought about it for about 10 minutes, and you decide, 'No, that is not going to happen,' and then you get a good prognosis. Are you in remission now? Are you through the cancer? Are you in remission now? Are you through the cancer? Yes, I think it's called remission. And the hair is all real? It has all grown back? And the hair is all real? It has all grown back? The hair is all real. It grows back, yes. It grows back, yes. You are disarmingly open about what chemotherapy does to a female body. You basically lose everything, don't you? You basically lose everything, don't you? Everything, yes. Everything goes, and it gets... There is a point when you are halfway through it, you go, 'Well, this is a piece of cake, isn't it,' you know, 'This is all right,' and then suddenly` because it's accumulative ` suddenly, by the end, you are going, 'Bloody hell, I could do without this now.' Wake up, Pats. Come on, darling. Come on, sweetie. Come on, sweetie. Oh. Oh, what time is it? Come on, sweetie. Oh. Oh, what time is it? Oh, 6 o'clock in the morning. Don't even think about it, babe. It has been written ` it is all over the blogosphere and the web ` that you are making or about to make an Ab Fab film. > We're not! You're not? Well, we all think you should but, I mean... Ohh. Well, I'm torn because a) to find the time to... Oh, God, I'm torn. I know why it is out there. It's because Joanna Lumley keeps saying it, and she keeps saying it to push me into doing it, and I have this big worry that it will just dirty up what we have done before if it is not the best thing ever, you know? And that's my fear of doing it. GUITAR MUSIC One of the things that I've noticed about your life is all the way through, > every point of your life, there is a strong woman. There is Dawn in the very early days at college. There is Joanna Lumley who became a great chum of yours during Ab Fab. You have anchor points, don't you, with strong female friends? > Yes, I do, and I think it's very important, actually, and I am always suspicious of women who don't have any girlfriends. I always think it is a bit odd, um... I think most women do, in a funny way. You develop your character and enjoyment through friendship. # I should be so lucky. # I should be so lucky. # Lucky, lucky, lucky. # I should be so lucky in love. # Ooh. She's my friend. She's one of my best friends, and working together is something we did as a side issue to our friendship. The friendship endures and always will. (BURPS) Any possibility you'd ever get back together? Whenever we meet, we discuss trying to put some time aside to come up with whatever the next project is together, but we never have that time. And, actually, we'd rather be talking about our kids, arranging a party, arranging the next dinner and doing real-life things than talking about work, to be honest. # Lucky, lucky, lucky. # Lucky, lucky, lucky. # I should be so lucky... So, what's next? I've got a couple of ideas up my sleeve, but I don't really want to know what I am doing next year until I do it. So, we have got a few more laughs from Jennifer Saunders sometime soon? Hopefully. Hopefully. We'll look forward to it. > Hopefully. We'll look forward to it. > Thank you very much. # I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I. # And on that note, that's us this Easter Sunday. Join us on Facebook ` Sunday TVNZ. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend, and thanks for joining us.