Jennifer Saunders has confirmed the future of Absolutely Fabulous, ahead of her reunion with co-star Joanna Lumley in Amandaland.
The comedian, 67, created, wrote and starred in the 1992 smash hit, which followed the life of her character Edina Monsoon and Joanna’s character Patsy – with the booze addled fashionistas winning icon status over its five series and movie.
Speaking to The Times, the British icon admitted she is frequently asked about the possibility of an Ab Fab comeback, yet cites age as a factor in any decision. She said: ‘We’re quite old. I’m 67, she’s 79. It takes a lot of energy to do something like that.’
Aside from reuniting for Ab Fab, fans are delightedly awaiting the Christmas special of Amandaland, a spin-off of the wildly successful Motherland, in which Joanna plays Felicity, the wicked mother of the titular character, played by Lucy Punch.
Jennifer will play Felicity’s sister Joan a role she relished, saying: ‘I read the script and I was like, this is it. This is great. It’s just really well written. Proper character jokes and funny performances, plenty of falling over. I think it’s just terrific. I love it.’
Jennifer Saunders has confirmed the future of Absolutely Fabulous, ahead of her reunion with co-star Joanna Lumley in Amandaland
The comedian, 67, created, wrote and starred in the 1992 smash hit, which followed the life of her character Edina Monsoon and Joanna’s character Patsy – with the booze addled fashionistas winning icon status over its five series and movie
Jennifer is set to star in Amandaland as her long-time collaborator’s on-screen sister (pictured: Amanda actress Lucy Punch)
While the comedy duo starred together in the 2016 Ab Fab movie, the Christmas special will be their first TV role together in three decades.
Aunt Joan is said to be completely different from Felicity, with a ball of country-living and enthusiastic upper-class bluster.
The Christmas special will be the first scripted on-screen reunion for Jennifer and Joanna since Absolutely Fabulous, which aired its last episode in 2004.
Lead star Lucy said: ‘I’m beyond excited to get started on Amandaland Series two with our brilliantly talented lovely cast. ‘The Christmas special is going to be an absolute cracker – it’s like totes fire, with all the festive feels, for reals. Slay bells!’
Of the role, Jennifer said: ‘I am delighted to be joining the fabulous Amandaland gang for a Christmas special. Playing Joanna’s on-screen sister is guaranteed to be a laugh, who doesn’t love a family reunion SoHa style!’
Ab Fab fans were sent wild earlier this year, when Jennifer and Joanna spectacularly reunited for the Burberry show at Kensington Gardens which closed London Fashion Week with a spectacle of Brit nostalgia.
In a power move which would have delighted the fame obsessed, Bollinger-guzzling Eddie and Patsy, the actresses rubbed shoulders with the likes of Elton John and Naomi Campbell on the packed front row.
Jennifer and Joanna decided against channelling their characters’ more flamboyant fashion sense, instead opting for classic Burberry trench coats and the brand’s signature check accessories.
In another nod to their nineties series, the duo were sat next to model Twiggy, who famously guest starred as herself in two episodes of the show.
While the comedy duo starred together in the 2016 Ab Fab movie, the Christmas special will be their first TV role together in three decades (both pictured in 1992 for Absolutely Fabulous)
Ab Fab fans were sent wild earlier this year, when Jennifer and Joanna spectacularly reunited for the Burberry show at Kensington Gardens which closed London Fashion Week with a spectacle of Brit nostalgia
Twiggy looked fabulous in a chic black suit and tie as she cosied up to her long-time pals for photos inside the star-studded tent before the trio were spotted giggling together on the front row.
It’s been nine years since Eddie and Patsy were last on screen, with creator Jennifer insisting she would not revive the characters following the 2016 movie.
Last year Gold aired Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out, a two-hour tribute to the ground-breaking sitcom that ran for six series between 1992 and 2012, which saw Jennifer and Joanna reunite to reveal behind the scenes secrets.
Ab Fab grew out of a French & Saunders sketch in which Jennifer played an Eddie-like character called Adrianna and her comedy partner Dawn French her priggish, studious daughter.
When Dawn was unable to commit to another series of French & Saunders after adopting her daughter, Jennifer decided to grow the sketch into a sitcom.
Old friend Ruby Wax helped hone the scripts for Jennifer, who up until then had only written short sketches with Dawn for her comedy series.
The hilarious pair were staples of the comedy scene in the Nineties
And it was Ruby who suggested Joanna for the party of former model turned booze-addled magazine fashion director Patsy Stone.
‘I saw her in a play, went backstage and said, “You should be in a comedy”,’ Ruby once recalled. ‘She was thrilled because her career had plummeted – she doesn’t mind me saying that – it was under the floorboards. So I put her on my show, and then when Jennifer and I were talking about Ab Fab I said, “I have Patsy!”’
Joanna wasn’t convinced. While making the pilot episode in 1991 she found herself frustrated by both Jennifer’s script for Patsy and her attitude on set.
‘As there was no description of what Patsy was like in the script, I didn’t know,’ recalled Joanna in an interview for Weekend Magazine last year.
‘And because Jennifer was not at her most communicative in those days, she gave me no hint, except she looked sadder and crosser at every word I uttered.
‘I thought, “This is a dead loss.” I didn’t know what she wanted. I rang my agent and said, “I don’t think Jennifer wants me, but she’s too polite to say anything. Do you think you can get me out of this?” My agent said, “It’s a pilot. Just do it. It might not take off.” So I nearly wasn’t Patsy!’
Jennifer agreed, explaining ‘We didn’t know each other,’ she says. ‘It’s hard, isn’t it. I didn’t quite know what I wanted.’
It’s been nine years since Eddie and Patsy were last on screen, with creator Jennifer insisting she would not revive the characters following the 2016 movie
Another stumbling block was a comment from a BBC comedy boss who declared that ‘he didn’t find drunk women funny’.
Speaking in last year’s documentary the sitcom’s producer John Plowman revealed: ‘We do the pilot and I see Robin Nash, Who was the then head of comedy and I said, ‘What do you think?’
‘And he said, ‘I’ve never found women being drunk very funny.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s it, it’s over.’
‘But we did it in the evening. The audience was wonderful and my most binding memory was at the end of it I saw Ben Elton [comedian] and he said, ‘Well, I’ve seen the future of comedy and it’s that.’.’
Absolutely Fabulous ran for five successful seasons from 1992 to 2003 and one film, boasting a hoard of A-list guest stars.
