Absolutely Fabulous

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Absolutely Fabulous
Title card of the final series
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Jennifer Saunders
Starring	Julia Sawalha Joanna Lumley Jennifer Saunders June Whitfield Jane Horrocks
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	36 (List of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Multiple camera
Running time	30 minutes approx.
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	12 November 1992 – 11 March 2005
External links
IMDb profile

Absolutely Fabulous (also known as Ab Fab) was a BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning 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 1996 and 2001 to 2005.

Contents 1 Background 2 Cast 2.1 Main 2.2 Supporting 3 Plot 4 Characters 4.1 Eddy 4.2 Patsy 4.3 Saffy 4.4 Mrs. Monsoon - "Gran" 4.5 Bubble 4.6 Sarah 4.7 Justin 4.8 Marshall 4.9 Bo 5 Episodes 6 Special guests 7 Theme song 8 Other countries 9 Remakes 10 Mirrorball 11 DVD releases 12 Region 4 13 Footnotes 14 External links

[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

[edit] Main

Jennifer Saunders - Edina Monsoon
Joanna Lumley - Patsy Stone
Julia Sawalha - Saffron Monsoon
June Whitfield - Mother/Gran/Mrs.M
Jane Horrocks - Bubble, Katy Grin

[edit] Supporting

• Christopher Ryan - Marshall Turtle
• Mo Gaffney - Bo Turtle (née Crysalis)
• Christopher Malcolm - Justin
• 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 Denison-Bender (series 4)
• Felix Dexter - John Johnstone (series 5 and 2003 Special)
• Celia Imrie - Claudia Bing (series 3 and 4)

[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 super-ego. Edina and Saffy live in a house in Holland Park (although the house is seemingly very close to Shepherds Bush, much to Edina's chagrin), with Patsy spending most of her time there as well.

The programme circles around Eddy's ongoing struggle to achieve fame, success and a slender figure 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 Bolly Stolly (a cocktail of Bollinger champagne and Stolichnaya vodka) and later Veuve & Bourb (a mix of Veuve Clicquot champagne and bourbon) or Dom & Bom (a mix of Dom Perignon champagne and Bombay Sapphire gin). 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, 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 ex-husband Justin call her Edwina.

Eddy's self-image is based on 1960s counterculture and the world of fashion and celebrity. She is fixated on self-indulgence and her ideas of self-actualization. Eddy subscribes to every trend that arises, including faux-Eastern new age spiritualism and feng shui. She aspires to move in the highest circles of creativity, fashion, and celebrity. She considers herself a follower of the latest trends, but, having no real sense of style of her own, Eddy is actually a fashion victim, parading the latest fashion trends without understanding them or understanding what looks good on her.

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. She is extremely status conscious, loudly clarifying that her house is located in Holland Park whenever someone identifies the neighbourhood as Shepherds Bush.

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.

Gay men play an important role in Edina's social self-image, as tokens of fashionability and political correctness. She asserts the former by claiming that "gay men love [her]" and the latter by claiming that "all [her] friends are gay". Taken together, the two would seem to point to unbounded mutual love between Edina and gay men as a class. However, both seem to be questionable. Edina's coveted gay-icon status is belied by the animosity of Oliver, her first husband's partner, although her son Serge's partner seems to be under her spell at first sight. Conversely, there is no evidence in any episode to support Edina's claim to have gay friends, while her feelings towards gay men appear less enthusiastic in deeds than in words, although she is thrilled to learn that her son is gay. Actually, her assertion that "all [her] friends are gay" is used as self-justification. On one occasion, she seconds Patsy's accusation of a "gay mafia" conspiracy to explain their professional failures.

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 (even raw meat). For dramatic purposes she had been described as being two stone overweight (although Jennifer Saunders clearly isn't). 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.

[edit] 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 aging bohemian mother in Paris. She and Eddy were childhood friends, and since her mother despised and neglected her - regarding her more as a rival than a daughter - she came to rely on the Monsoons for most of her food (though she has only been seen eating twice), shelter and comfort. The first few years of her life were spent locked in a room, and the rest were dismal by Patsy's own description, without friends, parties or presents. She claims to have blocked out everything before 1968, though occasionally memories come back to her in the form of flashbacks. She is an outrageous, nymphomaniacal, past-her-prime fashion model and "ex-Bond girl" (although her only actual "Bond" film was Bond Meets Black Emanuelle, Lumley was a genuine Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service) who drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney. 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 on 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 a sister named Jackie, (as revealed in the episode "Happy New Year") whom Eddy abhors and who twice tried to kill Patsy with drug overdoses. Jackie intimidates Patsy into stating that Patsy is the elder of the two and says, in the same episode, that she is 72, to which Patsy's reply was "my god, then how old does that make me". 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 Eddy 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. It is hinted that Patsy has been involved in some questionable activities, such as adult films; she uses her knowledge from that time to blackmail Saffron's prospective mother-in-law. When faced with a situation that someone else might find alarming or disconcerting (such as discovering that Saffron cast a man to play Patsy in a play), Patsy often responds with a cool "yeah cheers, thanks a lot."

During the 1960s in Morocco, Patsy underwent a sex change and briefly lived as a man; but, as Eddy 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 potato crisp, then pronounces it "delicious" though she is visibly shaken from having actually eaten something; 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 (however, it makes her choke).

[edit] Saffy

Edina and Justin's daughter Saffron Monsoon was born on 17 March 1975 in London. Although most people call her "Saffy", Eddy usually refers to her as "sweetie", "darling", "sweetie-darling" and twice "little budgerigar" – meaning, according to Saunders, the voice of conscience in the household. Eddie once complained, "God! It's like living with a chronically depressed budgerigar!" and another time called Saffy "little budgerigar girl." 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. Many times Eddie and Patsy refer to her as being virgin, and even she herself makes comments regarding it (when she is about to marry Paolo and tells her father that they want to marry soon, she says "Nothing like that" referring to a possible pregnancy) but in the chapter "Morocco" it is made obvious that she is no longer a virgin. 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, and in one episode even defends her honour against a married-with-children college tutor who deceitfully tries to seduce her (Edina punches him in the face). Nevertheless, 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".

At some point (presumably when she came of age) Saffron became the legal owner of the house that she and Edina live in (it had previously belonged to her father). In the final episode of the series she at last liberates herself from her mother and Patsy by throwing them out.

[edit] Mrs. Monsoon - "Gran"

Edina's mother, Mrs. Monsoon, is a good-natured woman who often pretends to be rather senile. She is despised by her daughter Edina but much loved by her granddaughter. She has an ambiguous relationship with Edina and seems to regard her with indifference, giving all her motherly devotion to Saffy. 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.

Edina addresses her, usually indirectly, as "The Old Woman" and once "Old Caca", never as "Mum" or "Mother". 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. Sometimes she recognises the eccentricities of Edina, Patsy and visitors to the house. At times she even seems to see the dysfunctional qualities in Saffy.

In the first episode she is apparently not in regular interaction with the other characters, appearing only in Edina's flashback to her teenage years. By the second episode Fat she is in evidence visiting Edina's home to see Saffy. By the third episode France when she meets Patsy there it seems the two have not seen each other in many years ("Still blond then?", remarks Gran); here Patsy seems to resent her and apparently the feeling is mutual. (Also, in this early episode where the characters are apparently still being firmed-up, Edina does hug her and call her "mum".) After this it is apparent that like Patsy, Gran is a regular visitor to Edina's home, and that Patsy and Gran seem basically to like one another, despite the odd snide comment.

Later episodes reveal that Gran had been 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". Mrs Monsoon sometimes makes condescending remarks about Patsy, even in her presence, once telling Edina that "poor-dear-sad-old Patsy" is not a suitable or reliable friend. Gran has occasionally confused a transvestite for Patsy.

When Mrs. Monsoon's husband dies ("Death"), Edina 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. Patsy attempts to comfort her by awkwardly patting her head and saying "I condole you", adding cheerfully that Mr M "chose the right season to go, as black is in this season". Gran seems to appreciate this fashion tip.

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").

After series three her mental faculties begin to decline and she increasingly inhabits a strange world of her own. In only one scene throughout the entire run of the show are she and Edina alone together, and it's an awkward experience for both of them.

[edit] Bubble

Eddy's personal assistant at work, characterised by strong Lancashire accent, daft fashion sense, and low intelligence. Her inability to remember the names of the most common of objects (computer, television, fax machine.) or understand the most basic of concepts (the fact that the year goes up by one on New Year's Day) 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. Bubble has perhaps the strangest fashion sense of the characters, and her outfits are frequently so bizarre as to be parodies.

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.

There is some variation in her character across episodes. During the first season episode Fashion she was dim, but slyly aware of Edina's silliness. In Fat she seemed to be developing a level of intelligence, but this proved fleeting. At times she taunted Patsy and was shown to be well-aware of the ridiculousness of her situation. In the second season episode New Best Friend she taunted Edina and Patsy over their age and fractious relationship. During the last series she sometimes 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.

In later seasons Bubble's lookalike cousin Katy Grin (also played by Horrocks), is introduced. Katy is a slick but sly and snobbish television presenter with a standard Received Pronunciation who shows no real affection for any of the other characters, gleefully issuing bitchy backhanders at Edina, Patsy and Saffy, in particular. She has a baby son, the father is from a sperm bank.

[edit] Sarah

Sarah is a quiet, shy, studious girl and Saffron's best friend since childhood. In the beginning of the series, she rarely drinks, regarding "low-alcohol cider" as "brilliant," saying that "once, at a party, I drank a whole can!" By season 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 about 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.

[edit] 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. Justin is Canadian and usually walks with a cane.

[edit] Marshall

Marshall Turtle 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 Serge throughout the series, but he is only seen once in a special late in the series. Marshall is an unsuccessful movie producer in Hollywood who later begins pursuing other money-making schemes with his wife, Bo. Bo dominates him easily, and when he's with her he seems more like a young child than a husband; she watches what he eats and once even changes his soiled underwear for him. Early in the series, however, Marshall manifests a more masculine, adult persona when he appears with Sondra, a grief therapist, and Cherysh, a classic California airhead. Although Marshall is generally kind to Saffy, perhaps pitying her for having to live with Edina, 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. It was hinted later in the series that Marshall had some gay feelings, which he explored with a leather daddy.

[edit] Bo

Bo Turtle ("Hey it's me - Bo!") is Marshall's wife throughout most of the series. She is a loud and obnoxious American who at random will shout "Praise Jesus!" or "Let's hold hands!", but with warm and caring tendencies, except on certain occasions, such as when she tried to steal Saffy's baby - however, she actually stole the placenta. She is a nurse by training, but we see her in this role only once in the series when Patsy is living in New York. Bo has many wacky wigs and costumes. 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.

[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] Special guests

Many celebrities appeared in the series, most of them as themselves. They were: