Absolutely Fabulous is a British sitcom written by and starring
Jennifer Saunders and co-starring Joanna
Lumley, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield and
Jane Horrocks. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1992 to 2005,
and is popularly referred to as Ab Fab.
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 , 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.
Cast
Main
Supporting
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 super-ego. 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 ongoing 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 & Bourb" (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.
Characters
Eddy
Edwina Margaret Rose Monsoon, an only child, 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, call her Edwina. She lives in a nice Holland Park house with her daughter
Saffy, and owns a public relations firm whose only steady client is 1960s
pop singer Lulu, whose professional relationship with
Edina is hanging by a thread. In later years, this was switched to model Twiggy and
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 has a boyfriend named Oliver. Her first husband,
Marshall Turtle – the father of her gay and almost perpetually off-screen son Serge – later marries
brash, scheming New-Age Californian Bo
Chrysalis (Gaffney), who effortlessly rules over him.
Edina claims to be a Buddhist practising, in her words, "almost religiously". She also
claims to be a vegetarian although she is seen eating meat on a few occasions. For
dramatic purposes, she is supposed to be two stone overweight (although Jennifer Saunders clearly isn't), and she frequently
moans about being too fat; however, she hasn't the willpower to stay on any diet for long. Weak-willed as she is, she spends much
of her life caught in an emotional tug of war between Patsy, her lifelong friend and corrupter, and Saffy, her sensible
goody-two-shoes daughter.
Patsy
Eurydice Colette Clytemnestra Dido Bathsheba Rabelais Patricia Cocteau Stone – always called Patsy, or Pats – is the
last of a string of bastard children born to an ageing bohemian mother in Paris. She and
Eddie were childhood friends, and since her mother neglected her - regarding her more as a rival than a daughter - she came to
rely on the Monsoons for most of her food, shelter and comfort. She is an outrageous, nymphomaniacal, chain-smoking, past-her-prime fashion model and ex-Bond
girl 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.
Patsy was born in 1938, and her birthday is 30 October. Although her actual age is never
clearly divulged, she often states herself to be between 39 and 43. In one episode ("Cold Turkey") a nurse guesses that she is
around 65 years old. Patsy also has an older sister named Jackie, whom Eddy abhors and who twice tried to kill Patsy with drug
overdoses. Patsy usually seems as hard as nails and as cold as ice – especially in her behaviour toward Saffy, her chief rival –
but she sometimes reveals a more vulnerable side: in flashbacks to her bleak life with her mother, in her overeager admiration
for the awful Jackie, and in those rare moments when Eddie temporarily withdraws her friendship.
Unlike Eddy, she is usually stylishly dressed, and almost invariably wears her hair in a characteristic blonde
beehive. She has a well-paying, do-nothing job as a fashion director for 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 celebrity clients such as Minnie Driver.
During the 1970s in Morocco, Patsy underwent a sex
change and briefly lived as a man; but, as Eddie says "It fell off". She is very promiscuous up until "The Last Shout",
then begins to lose her power over men. In two episodes ("Door Handle" and "The Last Shout"), it is revealed that Patsy lives in
the storeroom above Oddbins, a chain of UK liquor stores. She says that she has not eaten anything since 1973, having had a
"stomach bypass". In the episode "New Year's Eve", however, she painfully chews and swallows a crisp, then pronounces it
"delicious"; and in the Christmas Special "Cold Turkey" she renders the entire assembly speechless by demurely asking for a small
slice of turkey during Christmas dinner - then chokes on it.
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", "sweetie-darling" and once "little budgerigar" – meaning, according to Saunders, the voice of conscience in the
household. Patsy, on the other hand, calls her "you little bitch troll from hell", "the bitch daughter" and "you little piece of
dribble-piss", etc. As the ever-virtuous high-minded intellectual, Saffy is the perfect foil for Eddie and Patsy, enduring
bombastic abuse and immature snideness from both, especially regarding sex. She defends herself by constantly criticizing them
both, remorselessly assuming the moral high ground and the voice of reason. However, her mother's neglectful ways, innumerable
slights, and occasional outright cruelties have taken their toll, making her excessively serious and rather bitter.
She dresses conservatively – indeed, drably – and almost always behaves responsibly; as a result, many unpleasant chores come
her way, and she frequently must rescue Patsy and Eddie from sticky situations. Despite this, Patsy resents Saffy so intensely
that once she even sells her into slavery in Morocco. Her mother sometimes treats her affectionately, even respects her sometimes
as is shown in one episode where Saffy begins a romantic relationship with her college tutor and is crushed to find out he is
married with children. Edina is infuriated at her daughter being treated like this and physically assaults the tutor in a rare
attempt to protect Saffy. Neverthe less, Edina longs for a more exotic, fashionable daughter, and frequently tells her so. Saffy,
for her part, passionately wishes to belong to a more normal family, and is once arrested for spying on a random family for her
"Observations Diary." Her older brother Serge ran away from home in desperation as a teenager and never calls or writes;
nevertheless, he's Eddie's favorite child, even though she can no longer remember what he looks like.
In series four, after completing her education, she writes a play about her life with her mother called "Self Raising Flower;"
she means the play to be tragic and is confused when the audience starts laughing. 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 Uganda - Eddy has nightmares
at the prospect of being a grandmother until she learns that Saffy's lover is black, making
the baby mixed race and, as such, a fabulous fashion accessory – "the Chanel of babies!" Saffy later gives birth to a daughter and names her Jane; Eddy, however, persists in calling
her "Lola".
Mrs. Monsoon - "Gran"
Edina's mother, Mrs. Monsoon, is a good-natured woman who often seems to be rather senile. She is despised by her daughter but
much loved by her granddaughter. She has a strange relationship with Edina and seems to regard her with indifference, giving all
her motherly devotion to Saffy.
Edina's insults never seem to affect her; in fact, she usually manages to drop a few hard-hitting but humorous insults of her
own. Most of the time she recognises the eccentricities of Edina, Patsy and visitors to the house. At times she even seems to see
the dysfunctional qualities in Saffy. She was a sort of surrogate mother to Patsy, whose own mother neglected her; however, their
relationship is ambiguous. Patsy shows her some respect, even helping her and calling her "Mrs M". When Mrs. Monsoon's husband
dies ("Death"), Patsy attempts to comfort her by awkwardly patting her head and saying "I condole you", adding that Mr.M "chose
the right season to go, as black is in this season". Mrs. Monsoon sometimes makes condescending remarks about Patsy, even in her
presence, once telling Eddy that she is not a suitable or reliable friend and calling her "poor-dear-sad-old Patsy".
Mrs. Monsoon displays a kleptomanical streak at times, taking random items from Edina's household (mugs, ashtrays, clothing)
and donating them to the charity shop she volunteers at, "Bric-n-Brac-n-Knic-n-Knack-n-Things." She's been known to turn Edina's
high-style clothing into other things (such as "the only genuine LaCroix-Versace-quilty-bedspread in existence").
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 childhood. But after series three, 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" and once "Old Cucka", never as
"Mum" or "Mother". In only one scene throughout the entire run of the show are the two alone together, and it's an awkward
experience for both of them. 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 doesn't seem to care much either,
realising that she'll have a bit more room at her house.
Bubble
Eddy's personal assistant at work. Her inability to remember the names of the most common of objects (computer, television,
fax machine, etc.) or understand the most basic of concepts (the fact that the year goes up by one on New Year's Eve) 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 is also fluent in French,
but in one episode is heard uttering French sounding gibberish. She is inexplicably made editor of Vogue magazine, but she soon returns to Edina and it is not clear that she ever took up her new
position. In fact, she resigns her position as Edina's PA on two other occasions. Edina tries to fire Bubble for gross
incompetence, but Bubble sues - and wins - the right to keep her job. Unfortunately for her, the details of her job were not
specified, so Edina makes Bubble her maid. Later, Bubble abandons Edina when her PR company is on the verge of being taken over
by Claudia Bing. During the last series, Bubble's character changes somewhat. Still mad as ever, she assumes an affected and
insulting snobbery, looking down on Edina and Patsy, and even big celebrities like Elton John and Minnie Driver. She occasionally
rebukes Edina for her irresponsibility, and annoys her with her mad but hard-hitting insights into the celebrity-driven society
Edina moves into. From the beginning she is insulting to Patsy, subtly exposing her superficiality. But in later episodes she is
not so subtle. Bubble is also Katy Grin's cousin.
Sarah
Sarah is a quiet, shy, studious girl and Saffron's best friend since childhood. In the beginning of the show, she rarely
drinks, regarding "low-alcohol cider" as "brilliant," saying that "once, at a party, I drank a whole can!" By series 4 Sarah
carried a flask in her jacket, drinking even while working as the stagehand on Saffron's play. Sarah is Saffron's Patsy-figure in
tempting Saffy to try drinking alcohol and teasing her regarding her romantic endeavors, real or imagined. Because of her timid
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 imbalance. In the 4th and 5th series, Sarah starts to unravel, becoming more and more unstable, and eventually
takes to stalking Spice Girl Emma Bunton, another friend of Saffron's. At this point, Saffy
realizes Sarah needs more professional help and reports her to the police.
Justin
Justin is Saffron's father and Edina's second ex-husband. He is gay and keeps an antique shop with his partner Oliver, a
frequent guest in the early series. Justin tries hard to be the best father he can to Saffron and the two of them have what is
probably the healthiest relationship on the show; however, he sometimes seems quite afraid of Edina, and it is never explained
why he left the infant Saffy in her care. 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. Oliver and Saffy are friends, even though he despises Patsy and loathes
Edina... for good reason. Justin is Canadian and usually walks with a cane.
Marshall
Marshall is Edina's first husband and father to Serge, Saffy's half-brother who managed to escape the Monsoon household early
on. Numerous references are made to him throughout the series, but we only ever see him in a special late in the series. Marshall
is an unsuccessful movie producer in Hollywood and ends up pursuing
other money-making schemes with his wife, Bo, later in the series. Although Marshall is generally kind to Saffy, assumedly
feeling sorry for her for having to live with her mother, he does comply with Bo's attempt to steal her baby to be sold through
their own private adoption agency to Hollywood actors wishing to adopt. Early in the series,
Marshall was clearly involved with another woman, Cherysh, but it was never made clear how his wife, Bo, fit into the picture at
this time. It was hinted later in the series that Marshall had some gay feelings, which he explored with a leather daddy.
Bo
Bo is Marshall's wife throughout most of the series. She is a loud and obnoxious person, but with warm and caring tendencies,
except when trying to steal Saffy's baby. She is a nurse by training, however, we only see her perform this function once in the
series when Patsy is living in New York. She tends to have a drug and alcohol problem when
she's experiencing hardships. Both Bo and Marshall experiment with different religious groups throughout the show, including
Christianity, Judaism, and The Church of Scientology.
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". Although, in 2007, furthur reports
stated that Saunders did have plans to revive the series but not for a few years.
Special Guests
Many celebrities appeared in the series, most of them as themselves. They were:
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. Hermine Demoriane sang a French version of the theme song over the closing
credits of the episode 'Paris'. More recently, it has been sung by Blondie lead singer,
Debbie Harry along with Saunders partner Adrian
Edmondson as well, 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.
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 Portugal it was shown in RTP2. 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 the Republic of Macedonia, all episodes have been shown a couple of times on Sitel. In
the Netherlands, the series is popular, still being broadcast by the VPRO. In Sweden, the show is broadcast by TV4
Plus. In Germany, it was broadcast by the franco-German TV network arte. In France, before it was rerun on terrestrial TV arte, it was successively premiered on Pay TV channel
[[Canal +]],cable channel Jimmy and is now broadcast on France
4. In Finland, the series was broadcast by YLE TV1.
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 alongside Catherine Deneuve as a spectator at a fashion show. French gay icon and Patsy Stone lookalike
Amanda Lear was asked to play the part of Patsy but turned it down saying she'd "already
lived it".
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, particularly in the boozy, campy antics of Christine Baranski's Maryanne.
In 2000, a short-lived Canadian adaptation called P.R., starring Diane Flacks and Ellie Harvey, also aired.
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.
The pilot of "Mirrorball" is included in the Special Features of the American DVD release of the fourth season. Several jokes
and plotlines of the pilot episode were used in the eventual Season Premiere of the 4th season of AB FAB albeit with the original
characters.
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" and "Absolutely Fabulous: Gay" in the UK), 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, US and Australian 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. On October
16, the 2004 Christmas special "White Box" will be released on DVD with two featurettes ("How to Be Absolutely Fabulous" and "Ab
Fab Moments") and the original sketch from French and Saunders that served as the basis for it. It is unknown at this time
whether or not the 2005 Comic Relief special will be included as another extra on this DVD.
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. In March 2007, the complete box set of Absolutely Fabulous, entitled Absolutely
Fabulous: Absolutely Everything was released in Region 4.
Footnotes
- ^ "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003.
- ^ "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003.
External links
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