‘WORKING ON AB FAB WAS SUCH A JOY’
Helen Lederer, AKA Catriona, the wonderfully naïve magazine employee, spills the tea…
WHAT WERE JENNIFER AND JOANNA LIKE TO WORK WITH?
Incredibly nice. I don’t want to sound too cheesy, but working with them just put a smile on everybody’s face. It was such a joy. No wonder we were blessed with people like Lulu and Elton John as guest stars.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE TO WORK WITH ELTON…
It was always so much fun having a celeb on set, because they knew that they were just there to take the piss out of themselves and have a laugh. They were always very humble, because
Jennifer would put everyone at ease immediately.
IT WAS A SCRIPTED SHOW, BUT DID YOU EVER IMPROVISE?
Joanna and Jennifer would always bounce new lines off of each other, because they were such good friends in real life and had a real sense of who their characters were.
DID YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE LINE OF CATRIONA’S?
I remember stopping off at some services on the motorway once for a cup of tea and several people came up to me saying, “Lovely photos!” Considering I wasn’t a major character on the show and would only say variations of that line, that was such a lovely moment. It happened quite frequently actually, but Ab
Fab was just so funny and relatable.
WHAT ABOUT A FAVE OUTFIT?
The black and white striped jacket with the bows that I wore in the film was a favourite. I actually got to keep it. I’ve noticed recently that you can buy Patsy and Edina outfits for fancy dress parties, which is hilarious.
WAS IT A DIFFERENT VIBE WORKING ON THE FILM COMPARED TO THE TV SHOW?
Only that we were all a little bit older, so it felt like a school reunion. I didn’t get to film any scenes abroad, which I was gutted about.
WOULD YOU EVER RETURN TO THE ROLE?
In a heartbeat. I’d say just let me lose a little bit of weight, but I’m in! ■