Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley on 32 years of Absolutely Fabulous: "You could push boundaries a bit"

That’s an understatement. Over five series, specials and a movie, the exploits of PR Eddie (Saunders) and her boozy pal Patsy (Joanna Lumley) became a cultural phenomenon.

Now, Gold is revisiting the best bits of the show with the creators, stars and celebrity fans – including Saunders, Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks, Ruby Wax and many more – for the documentary Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out.

“It felt important that it wasn’t just everyone’s favourite bits of Ab Fab, we also wanted to capture the million fond memories that the cast and crew had,” producer Owen Braben says.

To that end, you can find a collection of unseen polaroids supplied by make-up designer Jan Sewell that were taken for reference during filming in this week's Radio Times.

“Looking back, it was brave that it was pretty much an all-female cast. And the 'laddish' behaviour wasn’t typically approved of – I don’t think that people had seen women doing that before,” recalls Jane Horrocks who played Eddie’s effervescent assistant, Bubble.

“It was never a conscious thing – we were just going for laughs and representing characters we knew actually existed in that world,” Saunders explains. “Eddie and Patsy were never written as role models – we wanted people to be a little bit horrified!”

“When I got the first script for Ab Fab I was bowled over by how funny and different it was,” adds Lumley. “The reason it has lasted is because people love to laugh, and those two ghastly women provided the broadest canvas for comedy.

"I think our rehearsal rooms, with Jane, Julia and our beloved June [Whitfield, who played Edina’s mother], were the happiest places on earth. Wherever I go now I’m offered champagne, which is entirely thanks to Jennifer, and Edina and Patsy’s passion for Bolly. Cheers, sweeties!”

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Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out will air on Thursday 17th October at 9pm on Gold.

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