FABULOUS AND FEARLESS
The party continues for AbFab duo
Absolutely Fabulous was born in 1990 as a Jennifer Saunders’ BBC sketch.
The concept transitioned into multiple TV episodes over two decades and is now a film. Fans in Britain and North America know all about AbFab’s in-excess party dolls Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Eddie (Saunders).
Their catchphrase, “sweetie darling,” is as well known as their binges.
For the uninitiated, Eddie’s an incompetent publicist while Patsy fashions herself as a style guru. Together, they’re a Londonbased mess as chronicled in both the series and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
Also appearing in the flick are series regulars, including Eddie’s straitlaced daughter Saffron (Julia Sawahla), her odd mother (June Whitfield), and wacky assistant Bubble (Jane Horrocks), who often lives up to her name.
Included, too, in the film are at least 60 celebrity cameos, including appearances by designers Stella McCartney and Jean Paul Gaultier and models Kate Moss and Jerry Hall, many of whom appeared on the show over the years.
Directed by series regular Mandie Fletcher, the Saunders’ story has Eddie being put in jail after the disappearance of model Moss. Eddie eventually escapes with Patsy, to search for Moss in the south of France.
Before, during and after the arrest, Eddie and Patsy attend rowdy receptions in the spirit of AbFab campy flakiness.
Lumley and Saunders, far less bizarre than their AbFab personas, take time out from a busy day in London to offer considered opinions on a variety of topics:
On the difference between writing a movie script and a TV episode:
“You have to see the bigger picture, literally,” Saunders says of the screenplay. “And you have to have a plot and an emotional arc, apparently, which is quite difficult.”
On putting Patsy and Eddie up on the big screen in the 21st century:
“It seemed like a good time to make a film because life, indeed, might be passing them by,” Saunders says.
On the multiple cameos in the film:
“We didn’t turn people down,” Saunders says. “If they wanted to be in the movie, they were in it. It was literally like, ‘What day can you make it?’ And then it was, ‘Sorry, we’ll need you all day.’ ”
On the intense filming schedule:
“We only had about six weeks to shoot,” Saunders says. “We had our work cut out for us.”
On shooting exteriors in the south of France:
“I thought it was quite fancy to be in the south of France,” Lumley says.
On improvising some of Saunders’ dialogue:
“Jennifer may be accused of many things, but precious is not one of them,” Lumley says. “She’s the first lady to say, ‘Yes, let’s do that, it would be funny.’ ”
On the undeniable chemistry between Lumley’s Patsy and Saunders’ Eddie:
“We’re so close to the characters now, it’s easy for us to get back into,” Saunders says. “They’re like our best friends in a funny way.”
On the evolving Patsy and Eddie dynamic:
“Sometimes, I look back at Episode 1 and I think, ‘Really?’ because it was a different kind of show,” Saunders says. “We’ve sort of grown into them and we really don’t have to act them anymore.”
On the Patsy-Eddie similarities:
“Sometimes, if I get quoted a line by a fan, I really don’t know who said it,” Lumley says.
On AbFab followers who are proud of their Patsy-Eddie look:
“They bring out charming photographs where they’re dressed up for a night out, and they’re looking pretty slaughtered,” Lumley says.
On the enduring attraction of Patsy and Eddie:
“I’m always surprised that they’re so loved because they’re such hideous people,” Saunders says. “Their redeeming feature is that they do love and trust each other.”
Adds Lumley, “They’re like children in a way, and they really don’t know how to be a grown up, but their commitment to a good time is all-encompassing.”
“They live in Absolutely Fabulous land,” Saunders says. “They take us to a place where there are no responsibilities and I think people like to enjoy that.”