'Ab Fab' Specials Mark 20th Year

Absolutely Fabulous is set to return to BBC 1 later this year with the first of three specials to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The three 30-minute episodes will see Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley reprise their celebrated roles as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, together with original cast members Julia Sawalha as Saffy, June Whitfield as Mother and Jane Horrocks as Bubble.
The original pilot for 'Ab Fab' was made in 1991 and the series aired from 1992 to 2003, with a special aired in 2004. The award-winning series followed the lives of two best friends, Edina, an International PR guru by trade, but Sixties teenager at heart and Patsy, a sex-crazed magazine editor. The new collection of specials picks up in the present day.
Eddy's daughter Saffy was hardworking and all but ignored by her mother and hated by Patsy. Since the last series not much has changed, although Saffy has definitely grown up. Unbelievably Eddy's PA, Bubble, is still employed and at one point displays a skill no-one knew she had, least of all her.
In the first episode, fans will rejoin the beloved ensemble in the midst of a life-changing experience for one - which affects them all. And in the concluding episode, Eddy and Patsy play their own very special part in the London 2012 Olympics. They're back, 20 years on, a teeny bit older, none the wiser but definitely still Absolutely Fabulous.
Jon Plowman, Executive Producer, BBC Comedy and original producer of the Absolutely Fabulous series, said: "Viewers have been fantastically loyal in their devotion to our show, so we're really thrilled to say that it's coming back for three new shows to celebrate our 20th anniversary. All of the originals who are back together again are still truly absolutely fabulous and the new adventures of Edina, Patsy, Saffy, Bubble and Mother, plus a few surprising guests, will be a real treat for viewers."
(BMcN/CD)