Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley on 32 years of Absolutely Fabulous: "You could push boundaries a bit"
The stars of the iconic sitcom chat to Radio Times magazine – cheers, sweeties!
Absolutely Fabulous exploded onto the screen 32 years ago, brimming with bright '90s fashion and Bollinger — and it’s safe to say it took the world by surprise.
“It went out on BBC2 to begin with, which was more like Channel 4 in those days – you could push boundaries a bit,” creator and star Jennifer Saunders tells Radio Times. “There was no great expectation. Some male execs weren’t that impressed by women being drunk... but the show got audiences.”
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!”
The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.
Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out will air on Thursday 17th October at 9pm on Gold.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
