Absolutely Fabulous

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Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous Series 1 DVD
Genre	Sitcom
Creator(s)	Jennifer Saunders Dawn French
Starring	Jennifer Saunders Joanna Lumley Julia Sawalha June Whitfield Jane Horrocks
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	36 (List of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Multiple camera
Running time	Usually 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	November 12, 1992 – December 25, 2004
Links
IMDb profile

Absolutely Fabulous was a British sitcom written by and starring Jennifer Saunders, and co-starring Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1992 to 2004, and is popularly referred to as Ab Fab. In 2004, it came 17th in Britain's Best Sitcom.

[edit] Background

Absolutely Fabulous grew from a French & Saunders sketch called Modern Mother and Daughter, which starred Jennifer Saunders as the mother and Dawn French as the daughter. Contrary to persistent popular belief, the show has no connection, other than the character's name, to the earlier film Eddie Monsoon: A Life?, a comedy play written by Saunders' husband Adrian Edmondson in 1984 for the TV series The Comic Strip Presents.... The name Eddie Monsoon is derived from Edmondson's name and is a nickname of his.

[edit] Cast

Jennifer Saunders - Edina 'Eddy' Monsoon
Joanna Lumley - Patsy Stone
Julia Sawalha - Saffron 'Saffy' Monsoon
June Whitfield - June Monsoon (Mother/Gran)
Jane Horrocks - Bubble (all series) and Katy Grin (series 4 and 5)
Christopher Ryan - Marshall Turtle
Mo Gaffney - Bo Turtle (née Crysalis)
Christopher Malcolm - Justin (series 1 to 2003 Special)
Helen Lederer - Catriona
Harriet Thorpe - Fleur
Naoko Mori - Sarah (series 1 to 5)
Gary Beadle - Oliver (series 1, series 3 and 1996 Special)
Kathy Burke - Magda (series 1 to 1996 Special)
Tilly Blackwood - Lady Candida De Dennison-Bender (series 4)
Felix Dexter - John Johnstone (series 5 and 2003 Special)
Celia Imrie - Claudia Bing (series 3 and 4)

[edit] Special Guests

Many celebrities appeared as themselves in the series. They were;

[edit] Plot

Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone are two immature, prosperous, but preposterous substance-abusing fashion and fad-obsessed Londoners who value fame and style over substance (unless they are controlled substances). Saffron, Edina's daughter, provides the persistently dour voice of Monsoon and Stone's superego. Edina and Saffy live in a house in Holland Park, with Patsy spending most of her time there as well.

The programme circles around Eddy's constant struggle to achieve fame and success amidst the disapproval of her daughter and the constant presence of her increasingly senile mother. Throughout, Patsy is at her side encouraging the behaviours that are constantly causing her conflict. Much of the comedy of the show is physical, usually derived from Edina and Patsy's drunken and/or stoned states, with their favourite drinks being "Bolli Stoli" (a cocktail of Bollinger champagne and Stolichnaya vodka) and later "Veuve Bourbs" (a mix of Veuve Clicquot champagne and bourbon). The mutual loathing between Saffy and Patsy as each tries to guide Edina's behaviour also makes for many comic situations. A recurring gag found new ways for Edina to fall headfirst out of cars, windows, or down her kitchen stairs at least once every series.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Eddy

Edwina Margaret Rose Monsoon was born on 6 August 1951 in London. She later changed her name to Edina and is nearly always called Eddy; only her mother, and once Justin, calls her Edwina. She owns a public relations firm whose only steady client is 1960s pop singer Lulu, who is barely hanging on by a thread. In later years, this was switched to model Twiggy and former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, who also went to school with Saffy. Though failing in her business, Edina is desperate to give off the aura of success, wealth and fabulousness, even as her outrageously mismatched and poorly-fitted wardrobe belies this. In an early episode, Edina says that she has always voted Labour, but she notes her disdain for New Labour in the fourth series. She collects hefty alimony payments from her two ex-husbands, Justin and Marshall. Justin, Saffy's father, is gay and for a time had a boyfriend named Oliver. Her first husband, Marshall Turtle, the father of her gay and almost perpetually off-screen son Serge, later marries scheming New-Age Californian Bo Chrysalis. She claims to be a Buddhist but by taking her lifestyle into account, one can assume she is merely paying it lip service and making it look fashionable. She claims to be a Vegetarian although she is seen eating meat on a few occasions.

[edit] Patsy

Eurydice Colette Clytemnestra Dido Bathsheba Rabelais Patricia Cocteau Stone, always called Patsy, is an outrageous, nymphomaniacal, chain-smoking, past-her-prime fashion model who drinks like a fish. She shares a codependent parasitic existence with her old schoolfriend Eddy. This relationship usually results in hilarious, albeit dysfunctional, behaviour and over-the-top conflicts. Unlike Eddy, she is always stylishly dressed, and had a well-paying, do-nothing job with a fashion magazine, which she received after sleeping with the publisher. She then went on to work in "Jeremy's" an exclusive high street fashion store, with clients such as Minnie Driver. Patsy was born in Paris, and her birthday is 30 October, although her actual age is never divulged and she often states herself to be "39" or "41". Her mother was very promiscuous, and neglected Patsy, treating her more as a rival than a daughter. There are several none-too-subtle hints that during the 1970s Patsy underwent a sex change and briefly lived as a man; however, as Eddy reveals, "it fell off". Patsy also has an older sister, Jackie, whom Eddy abhors and who once tried to kill Patsy. In two earlier episodes ("Door Handle" and "The Last Shout"), it is revealed that Patsy lives in the storeroom above Oddbins, a chain of UK off-licences.

[edit] Saffy

Edina and Justin's daughter Saffron was born on 17 March 1975 in London. Although most people call her "Saffy", she is also frequently referred to by Eddy as "sweetie", "darling", or "sweetie darling" and (by Patsy) as "the bitch troll from hell" or "the bitch daughter". She is the perfect foil for Eddy and Patsy, depicted as the ever-virtuous high-minded intellectual who endures bombastic abuse and immature snideness from both, especially with regard to sex. She is the voice of reason, a thankless job in the Monsoon household. After completing her education, she takes up writing in series four; at one point, she becomes involved with New Labour, and says her role model is Cherie Blair. In series five, when she returns home pregnant from a stint of humanitarian work in Africa, Eddy is at first aghast at the prospect of being a grandmother; that is, until she learns that the father is black, making the baby multiracial and, as such, an utterly fabulous fashion accessory ("A mixed race baby is the Chanel of babies!"). Saffy later gives birth to a daughter called Jane, although Eddy persists in referring to her as 'Lola'. Saffy is the legal owner of the house.

[edit] Gran/Mrs. Monsoon

Edina's mother, Mrs. Monsoon, is an average, sensible woman despised by her daughter but much loved by her granddaughter Saffy. Patsy seems to tolerate "Mrs. M" and even helps her to do chores. In the first few series, she is a valuable ally for Saffy in her struggle for domestic control, often mentioning embarrassing facts from Eddy's and Patsy's early lives. After series three, however, her mental faculties begin to decline and she increasingly inhabits a strange world of her own. Eddy addresses her, usually indirectly, as "The Old Woman", never as "Mum", "Mummy", or even "Mother". In only one scene throughout the entire run of the show are the two alone together, and it's an awkward experience for them both. When Gran's husband, affectionately known as "Daddy", dies during series 2, Eddy infuriates Saffy by responding to the news with a blank stare and the question "Did he leave a will?"; Gran, however, doesn't seem to care much either. She appears in flashbacks of Edina's past wearing the stereotypical housewife's clothing of the 1960s.

[edit] Bubble

Eddy's secretary, Bubble, is a charming disaster. She is completely incompetent at her job and often has trouble even remembering what her job is. Her inability to remember the names of the most common of objects (television, fax machine, etc.) or understand the most basic of concepts (the fact that the year goes up by one at New Year's) are often the basis of much humour. Edina can often be seen painfully trying to drag vital information from her, a feat which is aggravated by her complete inability to recall the simplest of facts. Her sole purpose in Edina's PR company is to make Edina look good by comparison. Despite her utter daftness, Bubble shows rare glimpses of genius and special abilities. She seems to have some psychic abilities (for instance in knowing Patsy's sister's name, Jackie); however, it is not clear that this is simply luck combined with previously known facts surfacing in her mind. She is also fluent in French, but in one episode is heard uttering French sounding gibberish. Edina tried to fire Bubble once for gross incompetence, but Bubble sued - and won - the right to keep her job. Unfortunately for her, the details of her job were not specified, so Edina made Bubble her maid. Bubble is also Katy Grin's cousin.

[edit] Sarah

Saffron's best friend, Sarah, has followed Saffron from high school. In the beginning of the show, she was quiet and shy, but often tempted Saffron to try drinking alcohol. In this respect Sarah is like Patsy in tempting the Monsoon women to drink, albeit on a substantially smaller scale. Because of her shy, quiet demeanor, Sarah is often the subject of Edina's derision and physical abuse. Edina consistently refers to her as Titicaca and once set her hair on fire with a candle. This triggered Sarah to seek professional counselling, which seemed to drive her into a deeper state of unbalance. In the 4th and 5th series, Sarah starts to lose it, becoming more and more unstable, and eventually starts stalking Emma Bunton, a friend of Saffron's. Saffron realizes her friend Sarah needs more professional help and reports her to the police.

[edit] Justin

Justin is one of Edina's ex-husbands and is Saffron's father. He is gay and is often seen with his partner, Oliver, on the show. Justin tries hard to be the best father he can to Saffron and the two of them have what is probably the healthiest relationship out of everyone on the show. Justin and Edina put up with each other for Saffron's sake but are not always successful in carrying out this charade. Patsy and Justin have a variable relationship. They often act antagonistically toward each other, but other times seem to get along well. Justin runs an antique shop and is Canadian.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Absolutely Fabulous episodes

Absolutely Fabulous first aired on 12 November 1992, and ran for three series until 4 May 1995, when the sixth episode of series 3 was billed as the last-ever episode. However, the following year in November 1996, two specials, called "The Last Shout", were broadcast and were also billed as the last-ever episodes. Both 'last episodes' featured end sequences with flashes to the future. However, after writing Mirrorball, Jennifer Saunders decided she had more ideas ^[1], and on 31 August 2001 the fourth series premiered. A further series and three specials followed, the last of which aired on 25 December 2004. In July 2005, Saunders announced she would not be writing or playing Edina again, stating "The 6am calls to go to make-up and all the promotional work wear you down. I would like to write and direct — that would be my joy".

[edit] Theme song

The theme song for Ab Fab is called This Wheel's on Fire written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko and performed in this instance by Julie Driscoll and Adrian Edmondson. The song was also sung by Marianne Faithfull and P. P. Arnold for The Last Shout Special in 1996. This version does not appear on the new BBC Video DVD release. More recently, it has been sung by Blondie lead singer, Debbie Harry, who also guest-starred in the 2002 Christmas Special "Gay".

In addition to the official theme song, in 1994, the Pet Shop Boys recorded a song for Comic Relief using excerpts of dialogue from the series put to dance music. The music video featured clips from the show and specially recorded footage of the Pet Shop Boys with Patsy and Edina.

[edit] Following

With its outlandish depictions of drug and alcohol abuse and irresponsible, irreverent, and frequently illegal behaviour, the series gained a large and loyal following, as well as attracting censure from various groups. The programme was widely popular in Britain, and gained noteworthy attention in other countries.

[edit] Other countries

In the United States, Absolutely Fabulous has been broadcast on Comedy Central, PBS, BBC America, and since 2003 Oxygen Network as well. In Australia, all series were originally shown on the ABC, and on cable it airs on UK.TV. Repeats of the first three series were also shown on the Seven Network. The ABC continues to show it sporadically and shows Christmas Specials and occasional repeats of Series Five or Six episodes. In Canada it airs on Comedy Network and since 1994, CBC. In Serbia, the first series was aired in 1998, through a network of local television stations; in 2004 the series was aired in its entirety on B92 while in the Czech Republic all episodes have been shown. In Sweden, the show is broadcast TV4 Plus. In Germany, it was broadcast by the franco-german TV network arte.

[edit] Remakes

Absolutely Fabulous inspired a French feature film, called Absolument Fabuleux, in 2001. This was written and directed by Gabriel Aghion, and starred Josiane Balasko as Eddie and Nathalie Baye as Patsy. Jennifer Saunders had a small cameo as a spectator at a fashion show.

A proposed American remake that would have starred Carrie Fisher was put into motion by Roseanne Barr but never got off the ground. However, Barr did incorporate many elements of the show into the final season of her eponymous show Roseanne in which her character wins the lottery, even hiring Saunders and Lumley to reprise their Absolutely Fabulous characters Edina and Patsy in one episode^[2]. An American sitcom called "High Society", a direct remake of "Absolutely Fabulous" but toned down for American audiences, starring Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell, lasted only a shortened single season, but did garner an Emmy nomination for Jayne Meadows in the role of McDonnell's character's mother. The American sitcom Cybill, although not directly intended as a remake, shared some elements of Ab Fab's comedic style. In 2000, a short-lived Canadian version called P.R. also aired.

[edit] Mirrorball

Mirrorball was a show written by Saunders that featured a completely different plot and set of characters, but starred all of the main cast of Absolutely Fabulous. While not being a remake or spin-off, it is the only time in British TV history that two identical casts were used in two totally different shows. Only a pilot of Mirrorball was ever made.

[edit] DVD releases

All episodes of Absolutely Fabulous have been released on DVD in Region 2 (UK), by 2 Entertain Video, with the exception of the 2004 Christmas Special. Series 1-5, in addition to the specials "The Last Shout" and "Ab Fab: New York" (Released under the title "Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Special"), have also been released on DVD by Warner Brothers and BBC Video in Region 1 (US/Canada). The original French and Saunders sketch is an 'extra' on the Series One DVD (on both the UK and US versions), and The pilot of Mirrorball is an extra on the DVD of Series 4. Each series' DVD also features a fifteen-minute outtake reel. The Region 4 (Australia/Pacific Islands) DVDs have been released up to Series 5, with all the specials released as individual DVDs with their original episode names.

[edit] Footnotes

^ "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003.
^ "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003.

[edit] External links

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Absolutely Fabulous

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Categories: Absolutely Fabulous | BBC television sitcoms | Television programmes set in London | 1992 television program debuts