Actress Joanna Lumley has revealed that her Absolutely Fabulous co-star Jennifer Saunders once considered killing off their famous characters. In a recent interview with My Weekly, Lumley shared that Saunders once wrote to her asking if they should “just kill them off and bury them”. However, Lumley persuaded Saunders to keep the characters alive, arguing that they had “promised the world we will never die”. The award-winning comedy first aired on the BBC in 1992, returning for a Christmas special in 2004, a three-part series in 2012, and a feature film in 2016.
Absolutely Fabulous follows fashion PR queen Edina Monsoon as she attempts to stay on top of trends while consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, with her best friend and fashion director Patsy Stone rarely far behind. The show was created and written by Saunders, who starred alongside Lumley throughout its five seasons from 1992 to 2003.
Saunders hinted at future Ab Fab-related projects during an appearance on her podcast with Dawn French, Titting About, in October 2020. She announced plans to release something containing “some Ab Fab-ness”, although she did not specify whether this would be a film or a television series. When asked whether Lumley would be involved, Saunders replied, “Possibly”.
Despite the success of Absolutely Fabulous, which won a number of BAFTAs and Emmy Awards, both Saunders and Lumley have faced criticism over the characters’ excesses and the show’s portrayal of women. However, Saunders has countered this by stating that her characters are meant to be ridiculous archetypes, and that the show is intended as a form of social commentary
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