Absolutely Fabulous

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Television series
German title	Absolutely Fabulous
Original title	Absolutely Fabulous
Country of production	United Kingdom
original language	English
Year (s)	1992–1996, 2001–2003, 2011
Production company	French and Saunders productions , BBC Productions , BBC America (2011), Logo (2011)
length	30 minutes
Episodes	32 (+7) in 5 (+1) seasons
genre	Sitcom
Theme music	Julie Driscoll and Adrian Edmondson - This Wheel's on Fire
Director	Bob Spiers
idea	Dawn French , Jennifer Saunders
script	Jennifer Saunders
production	Jon Plowman, Jonathan P. Llewellyn, Jo Sargent
music	Simon Brint
First broadcast	November 12, 1992 on BBC Two
German-language first broadcast	November 12, 1994 on premiere
occupation
Jennifer Saunders : Edina Monsoon ("Eddy") Joanna Lumley : Patricia Stone ("Patsy"), Edina's best friend Julia Sawalha : Saffron ("Saffy"), Edina's daughter June Whitfield : June Monsoon ("Mother" or "Gran"), Edina's mother Jane Horrocks : Bubble, Edina's assistant Kathy Burke : Magda Mo Gaffney : Bo Helen Lederer : Catriona Christopher Malcolm : Justin Christopher Ryan : Marshall Harriet Thorpe : Fleur Naoko Mori : Sarah Adrian Edmondson : Hamish

The starring actresses Eddy and Patsy, Jennifer Saunders (left) and Joanna Lumley (right); 2014

Joanna Lumleys (left) and Jane Horrocks' (right) roll Patsy and Bubble at Madame Tussauds in Blackpool

Absolutely Fabulous (also AbFab ) is the title of a British sitcom starring Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders . The show is produced by the BBC and emerged from a sketch in Saunders' comedy series French & Saunders (together with Dawn French ). 1992 started the first season of Absolutely Fabulous with a total of six episodes.

In the meantime five seasons as well as some series specials ( The Last Schrei , 1996; Gay , 2002 and White Box , 2004) have been shot. In 2011/2012 there were three more episodes, which are referred to as specials, and thus a second comeback. The first episode aired Christmas 2011, the second New Year 2012 in Great Britain. The third aired for the 2012 Olympics on July 23, 2012.

The BBC tried to persuade Saunders to write another Christmas special and a sixth season to start in 2013. However, Saunders tweeted that she was currently (2012) working on a film adaptation. This idea was rejected again in 2013 and taken up again in 2014 through a bet with Dawn French. The film was released in German cinemas on September 8, 2016.

Because of the revealing portrayal of drug and alcohol consumption, as well as unresponsive, disrespectful and often illegal behavior, the series gained a very broad and loyal following worldwide, but also drew calls for censorship from various groups.

The series is extremely popular in Great Britain because of the cynical elaboration of its characters and the inventive scripts, but it also enjoys cult status in the USA and France. The originally not necessarily mainstream concept is rounded off by running gags and numerous guest appearances by (British) stars including several appearances by the singer Lulu .

action

Jennifer Saunders (left) and Joanna Lumley (right) in the roles of Edina and Patsy at Pride in London 2016

All the characters in the series are heavily exaggerated and caricature cultural stereotypes: The main actors are the entrepreneur Edina Monsoon ( Jennifer Saunders ) and Patsy Stone ( Joanna Lumley ). As members of the London upper class , both have the financial resources to keep up with the respective fashion or lifestyle trends. The constant focus of the figure of Edina is the non-standard body, which Edina tries to cope with through diets. The slim patsy focuses on the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. The assistant in Edina's PR company, Bubble, attracts attention every time she appears because of her eccentric clothing and lack of expertise. There is often emotional tension between Patsy and Saffron, Edina's daughter from a previous marriage. Saffron is portrayed with conservative values ​​and morals and is often staged as a moral authority vis-à-vis Edina and Patsy.

Absolutely Fabulous often satirizes current trends and fads or current events (for example cocooning , reality TV , botox, etc.), but also the often tense relationship between mother and daughter and other family problems.

occupation

Main actors and their voice actors

The first synchronization was carried out by Authors-Synchron in Hamburg , with Thomas Hermanns writing the dialogue book and Michael Nowka directing the dialogue. The second dubbing was done at Deutsche Film Synchron GmbH in Berlin . The dialogue script and direction was carried out by Matthias Müntefering , Sabine Sebastian and again Dr. Michael Nowka.

role	actor	First dubbed version (premiere; DVD seasons 1 - 3)	Second dubbed version (Arte season 1–5; DVD season 4 & 5, AbFab turns 20!)
Edina "Eddy" Monsoon	Jennifer Saunders	Isabella Grothe	Traudel Haas
Patricia "Patsy" Stone	Joanna Lumley	Angela Stresemann	Kerstin Sanders-Dornseif
Saffron "Saffy" Monsoon	Julia Sawalha	Tina Eschmann	Julia Kaufmann
June Monsoon	June Whitfield	Sabine Hahn	Gisela Fritsch
Bubble, Katy Grin, Lola	Jane Horrocks	Kerstin Draeger	Ghadah Al-Akel , Diana Borgwardt (Gay, White Box, AbFab turns 20! -Specials)

Supporting roles

role	actor	Episodes	First dubbed version (Premiere; DVD season 1 - 3)	Second dubbed version (Arte seasons 1–5; DVD seasons 4 & 5, AbFab turns 20!)
Justin	Christopher Malcolm	2, 5, 11-12, 14, The Latest Crazy - Parts 1 & 2, 23, 29, 32, Identity	Ben Hecker
Sarah	Naoko Mori	4, 7, 14–15, 17, The Latest Craze - Part 2, 19, 23, 27–28, Identity	Celine Fontanges	Tanja Geke
Bo Turtle (nee Crysalis)	Mo Gaffney	5, 18, All the Rage - Parts 1 & 2, 23–24, Gay, 29, 32, White Box, Olympic Games	Micaëla Kreißler (Episode 5)	Marianne Gross
Marshall Turtle	Christopher Ryan	5, 8, 14, The Latest, Part 2, 23–24, Gay, 29, 32, White Box, Olympic Games	Michael Quiatowsky	Michael Pan
Oliver	Gary Beadle	5, 14, The latest craze - part 2	Nicolas King
Catriona	Helen Lederer	6–7, 10, 17, All the Rage - Parts 1 & 2, 22, 24–25, 30, 32, Gay, White Box, Job	Sabine Falkenberg (episodes 6–7, 10)	Sabine Winterfeldt
Fleur	Harriet Thorpe	6–7, 10, 17, All the Rage - Part 2, 22, 24–25, 30, 32, Gay, White Box, Job		Christin Marquitan
Magda	Kathy Burke	6–7, 17–18, All the Rage - Part 2	Astrid Kollex (Episodes 6–7) , Katja Brugger (Episodes 17-18)	Cornelia Meinhardt
Patsy's mother	Eleanor Bron	6, 12, 32
Nurse	Llewella Gideon	7-8	Claudia Schermutzky	Sarah Méndez Garcia
Jackie Stone	Kate O'Mara	14, 32	Monika Gabriel	Regina Lemnitz
Claudia Bing	Celia Imrie	16, 24	Hildegard Krekel	Evelyn Marron
Lady Candida De Denison-Bender	Tilly Blackwood	19, 21-22, 24	not applicable	Claudia Urbschat-Mingues
John Johnstone	Felix Dexter	26, 29, 31-32	not applicable	Tobias Master

Guest appearances

Many celebrities, especially British and American, have guest appearances in which they mostly portray themselves. These are:

Sylvia Anderson Patrick Barlow Christopher Biggins Helena Bonham Carter Crispin Bonham-Carter Jo Brand Fern Britton Simon Brodkin Emma Bunton Dora Bryan Naomi Campbell Linford Christie Nicky Clarke Terence Conran

Richard Curtis Daniela Denby-Ashe Marcella Detroit Clarissa Dickson Wright Sacha thistle Minnie Driver Lindsay Duncan Adrian Edmondson Britt Ekland Idris Elba Marianne Faithfull Jesse Tyler Ferguson Dawn French Mariella Frostrup

Stephen Gately Jean Paul Gaultier Whoopi Goldberg Richard E Grant Sofie Gråbøl Germaine Greer Tanni Gray-Thompson Debbie Harry Miranda Hart David Haye Tom Hollander Kelly Holmes Colin Jackson Elton John

Mark Kermode Christian Lacroix Nathan Lane Leigh Lawson Robert Lindsay Lulu Stella McCartney Suzy Menkes Laurie Metcalf Kate Moss Graham Norton Erin O'Connor Bruce Oldfield Anita Pallenberg

Suzi Quatro Zandra Rhodes Mandy Rice-Davies Richard and Judy Miranda Richardson La Roux Kristin Scott Thomas Meera Syal Twiggy Rufus Wainwright Kirsty Wark Ruby Wax Dale Winton Katy Wix

Theme song

The series theme song is This Wheel's on Fire , written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko . The song is sung by Julie Driscoll and Saunders' husband Adrian Edmondson .

Other versions

In the course of the series, the song is sung by many actors. So it is Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders who sing the theme song in the episode Birthday Party on a karaoke machine. Marianne Faithfull and PP Arnold also sing the song at the end of the special The Last Freak - Part 1, Debbie Harry sings it in Gay and Hermione Demoriane at the end of the episode One Day in Paris.

It is also worth mentioning that the end credits of each episode of the fourth season include the text line Ziggy played guitar by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust after the end of the title song.

Copyright problems in the US

Since there were copyright problems in the US with the release of the song, it was replaced by an instrumental version of the song on the US DVDs. This can also be heard on the German DVDs as the background melody of the menus from seasons one to four. In addition, the musical contribution of Horrocks, Gaffney and Ryan from the musical Chicago was cut out in a dream sequence in the episode Home Birth in Season Five.

Seasons

The series consists of 5 seasons, which were produced in 1992–1996 and 2001–2003.

Episode list

Publications

Germany

DVDs

In Germany, all episodes of the series were published in German by polyband .

Although the episodes Gay and White Box already appeared in the DVD box season five , the German dubbed version was released with the appearance of the DVD AbFab turns 20! only published almost 6 years later, in 2013. It is not known whether this is a synchronization only for DVD release. Due to the fact that the series runs almost exclusively in OmU on German television , this is a likely assumption.

A new edition of the complete box from 2008 was released on August 26, 2016. In contrast to the box from 2008, the new edition contains the two-part Der for the first time in addition to the three specials from 2011 and 2012, the documentation Absolutely Fabulous: A Life and How to Be Absolutely Fabulous latest craze . This was published in the English original with German subtitles.

Surname	publication	Brief information	Bonus material	FSK	consequences
Season one	March 21, 2005	This DVD contains the six episodes of the first season.	Outtakes; The Original French & Saunders -Sketch (with German subtitles); Picture gallery	From 12 years	6th
Season two	September 26, 2005	This DVD contains the six episodes of the second season.	Outtakes; Picture gallery	From 12 years	6th
Season three	February 27, 2006	This DVD contains the six episodes of the third season.	Outtakes; Picture gallery	From 16 years	6th
Season four	March 23, 2007	This DVD contains the six episodes of the fourth season.	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Outtakes; Picture gallery; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes	From 16 years	6th
Season five	October 26, 2007	This DVD contains the 8 episodes of the fifth season.	Gay (with additional comments); White box; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders -Sketch (with German subtitles)	From 16 years	8th
The complete series	March 28, 2008	This DVD contains all episodes of the entire series, with the exception of the special The Last Cry and those that were produced in 2011.	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes of the fourth season; Gay (with additional comments); White box; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders -Sketch (with German subtitles)	From 16 years	32 (+2)
AbFab turns 20!	September 27, 2013	This DVD contains the three specials for the 20th anniversary of the series and the episodes Gay and White Box in German for the first time.	Original BBC contribution: Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley with the 2012 Olympic Flame in London; Ab Fab Does Sport Relief bonus sketches and behind-the-scenes; optional English subtitles for all episodes; optional German subtitles for the episodes "Gay" and "White Box"; Switchable comments as well as a photo gallery and outtakes for the episode "Gay".	From 16 years	3
The complete series. Absolutely everything and every special	26th August 2016	This DVD contains all episodes of the entire series (including The Last Schrei (in subtitles), Gay, White Box and the specials for the 20th anniversary).	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes of the fourth season and the Gay Special ; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders Sketch; How to Be Absolutely Fabulous: A behind-the-scenes look at Ab Fab; Absolutely Fabulous: A Life	From 16 years	32 (+7)

Streaming

In 2015, RTLnow made the first season available online for free , and it was also available on Clipfish . However, it is no longer visible on both platforms.

The entire series can be streamed seasonally or every single episode for a fee via Amazon Instant Video . You can choose between the original version and the German dubbed version. This does not apply to the double episode The Last Cry .

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, VHS cassettes were first released, followed by DVDs for the series from 2000.

VHS tapes

All VHS tapes were released on BBC Video, with the exception of The Last Shout. This appeared on Vision Video.

Surname	publication	Brief information
Series 1: Fashion / Fat / France	4th October 1993	This cassette contains the first three episodes of the first season
Series 1: Iso Tank / Birthday / Magazine	4th October 1993	This cassette contains episodes 4 to 6 of the first season
Series 2: Hospital / Death / Morocco	October 19, 1994	This cassette contains the first three episodes of the second season
Series 2: New Best Friend / Poor / Birth	October 19, 1994	This cassette contains episodes 4 to 6 of the second season
The Complete Series 1	3rd July 1995	These two cassettes contain all of the first season episodes
Series 3: Doorhandle / Happy New Year / Sex	October 2, 1995	This cassette contains the first three episodes of the third season
Series 3: Jealous / Fear / The End	October 2, 1995	This cassette contains episodes 4 to 6 of the third season
Series 1-3	October 30, 1995	This 6 cassette set contains all episodes of the first three seasons
The Complete Series 2	June 3, 1996	These two tapes contain all episodes of the second season
The Last Shout	November 11, 1996	This cassette contains the two-part special The Last Cry
Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Not	November 3, 1997	This tape contains bloopers and outtakes
Absolutely Fabulous: A Life	November 2, 1998	This cassette contains a mockumentary with 15 minutes of new material from the series
The Complete Series 4	November 19, 2001	This cassette contains all episodes of the fourth season
The Complete Series 3	November 25, 2002	These two tapes contain all of the third season episodes
The Complete Series 2	November 25, 2002	These two cassettes contain all episodes of the second season - with a new make-up
The Complete Series 1	November 25, 2002	These two cassettes contain all episodes of the first season - with a new make-up
Series 1-4	November 25, 2002	This 8 cassette set contains all episodes of the first four seasons

DVDs

In the UK, all episodes of the series have now been released on DVD. In contrast to the US DVD release, the special "White Box" was not released individually on DVD, but was first available on DVD as part of the Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything 2010 disc collection. All DVDs were released by BBC Video, only The Last Shout was released by Vision Video.

Surname	publication	Brief information	Bonus material	consequences
Series 1	November 20, 2000	This DVD contains the six episodes of the first season.	Outtakes; The Original French & Saunders Sketch; Picture gallery	6th
The Last Shout	November 27, 2000	This DVD contains parts 1 and 2 of the special.	Outtakes, collection of unforgettable moments	2
Series 2	October 1, 2001	This DVD contains the six episodes of the second season.	Outtakes; Picture gallery	6th
Series 3	November 12, 2001	This DVD contains the six episodes of the third season.	Outtakes; Picture gallery	6th
Series 4	April 8, 2002	This DVD contains the six episodes of the fourth season.	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Outtakes; Picture gallery; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes	6th
The Complete DVD Collection: Series 1-4	November 25, 2002	This DVD contains all episodes of seasons 1–4.	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders Sketch	24
Gay	September 29, 2003	This DVD contains the 2002 Special Gay.	Outtakes, picture gallery	1
Series 5	September 27, 2004	This DVD contains the 8 episodes of the fifth season.	Outtakes; Picture gallery	8th
Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything	November 15, 2010	This DVD contains all episodes of the entire series (including The Last Freak, Gay and White Box), with the exception of those produced in 2011.	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes of the fourth season; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders Sketch; How to Be Absolutely Fabulous: A behind-the-scenes look at Ab Fab; Absolutely Fabulous: A Life; Joanna Lumley on Modeling	32 (+4)
From fab at 20	July 30, 2012	This DVD contains the three specials for the 20th anniversary of the series and the episodes Gay and White Box in German for the first time.	Ab Fab Does Sport Relief bonus ketch	3
Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything - The Definitive Edition	17th March 2014	This DVD contains all episodes of the entire series (including The Last Freak, Gay, White Box and the specials for the 20th anniversary).	Mirrorball pilot episode (with the same cast); Behind-the-scenes interviews with Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield, and Jon Plowman; Additional comments from Jennifer Saunders and Jon Plowman on all episodes of the fourth season; Outtakes; Picture gallery; The Original French & Saunders Sketch; How to Be Absolutely Fabulous: A behind-the-scenes look at Ab Fab; Absolutely Fabulous: A Life; Joanna Lumley on Modeling	32 (+7)

Worldwide publications

DVDs

In France, the complete series was released on DVD between April 28, 2001 and April 10, 2005, and the series was released in a complete box on October 10, 2005. This box stated that it contained 36 episodes, which at the time would include all episodes including The Last Cry. It is unclear whether this two-parter was published before. On April 1, 2013, the series appeared in a completely new look. The covers have been adapted to the English DVD covers. At the same time, the specials for the 20th anniversary were released on DVD, a complete box was released on October 16, 2013.

The series was also released on DVD in the USA. The first release took place on March 13, 2001 and concluded on September 30, 2003 with the DVD Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Special, which includes The Ultimate Freak and Gay (known in the US as Absolutely Fabulous in New York). On September 13, 2005 there was a new edition of the first four seasons and a release of the fifth season. A box with seasons one to three was released on October 4, 2005. White Box was released on October 16, 2007, followed by a complete box called Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything on May 27, 2008. The last US release was on September 11, 2012 when the 20th anniversary specials became available on DVD.

The Australian DVD edition includes seasons one to five as well as The Last Cry and White Box and the specials from 2011 and 2012. As in the second French and German versions, Gay appeared on the season box of season 5. There are also boxes with the seasons one to five as well as the listed specials (except those that were produced in 2011). The box that was released on April 20, 2006, unlike the box that was released on April 5, 2011, does not include The Latest.

additional

It is worth mentioning that, with a few exceptions, the photo motifs on the DVD cover are transnational.

The cover of:

• Season 1 : Patsy (left) with a vodka bottle in his right hand and a cigarette in his left hand and Eddy (right) with a handbag and a large scarf. This cover was used in Germany , the USA , France , Australia and the United Kingdom .
• Season 2 : Patsy (left) with a blazer and looking towards the viewer as well as Eddy (right) in a tracksuit, who pretends to smile and bends slightly forward to the right. This cover was used in all countries listed in Season One.
• Season 3 : Eddy (left) in a dark outfit with a hat sitting at the kitchen table, his right hand on the table, a cigarette in the left and Patsy (right) behind, also dressed in dark, leaning against the table with a cigarette in his right hand . This cover was used in all countries listed in Season One.
• Season 4 : Patsy (left), laughing, with a hat and her left hand in front of her face and Eddy (right) grinning in front of her, her head at Patsy's belly level, again with a hat, anorak and a shoulder bag. This cover was used in all countries listed in Season One.
• Season 5 : Eddy (left) astonished with a hat and tracksuit, with champagne in his left hand and a cigarette in his right hand and Patsy (right) disgusted with champagne in his right hand and a cigarette in his left hand just before his mouth, wearing a blazer . This cover was used in Germany and Australia. Patsy (left) as Booberella in a black latex suit and a close-up of Eddy's face (right) adorn the cover in France and the United Kingdom. The US cover shows Eddy and Patsy in the same outfit as the German or Australian cover, only the attitude of the two is different from the mentioned covers.

Due to the country-specific publication of the specials, it is difficult to compare the covers here. It should also be noted that the German DVDs have their own Absolutely Fabulous typeface instead of the logo of the second and third season, which was used internationally for the DVDs.

Charisma

Germany

The first broadcast took place on November 12, 1994 on the station Premiere , the series was then shown until February 1995, then repeated in January and February 1996. From March 1996 tm3 showed the series until November 19, 1998, and from 1998 the series was also shown on Arte . It is not known whether the second synchronization was used here.

From January 1st, 2000 to April 29th, 2000 tm3 repeated the series one last time.

On August 25, 2001, Arte then showed the feature film , but what this is about has not been conclusively clarified. But it could be the latest craze . It was not until June 22nd, 2004 that Arte took Absolutely Fabulous back into the program, with seasons 4 and 5 being shown for the first time. The series was shown until July 23, 2004 at prime time at 8:15 p.m., the repetition took place, like the evening broadcast always on weekdays, at 5:45 p.m. The series ran for the last time on free TV for a long time on November 14, 2004, as before on Arte. In 2006 it was repeated on the English-language broadcaster BBC Prime , which could also be received in Germany via pay-TV packages.

From January 2, 2007, Sat.1 Comedy showed the series again, Mondays and Tuesdays from 0:15 a.m. Sometimes a few minutes later or earlier, not always in double sequences. The last episode on Sat.1 Comedy was shown on September 24, 2008.

A short time later, TIMM began broadcasting on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. in double episodes, and the series was repeated on Saturdays at 0:45 a.m. The series was later shown on late Thursday, the number of episodes shown varied. From August 7, 2009, it was broadcast on Friday evening, but only until September 18, 2009. On September 27, 2010, the series began to be shown on Monday night from 2:00 a.m., followed by a broadcast on October 3, 2010 the night on Sunday from 0:30 a.m. On October 25, 2010 the last episode was broadcast on TIMM. On December 18, 2008, a special was also shown entitled Best Of: Absolutely Fabulous , which is 60 minutes long. It could be The Story Of Absolutely Fabulous .

BBC Entertainment , the successor to BBC Prime, has been showing the series at irregular intervals since 2013 .

From November 21, 2013 Einsfestival showed the specials from 2011 as well as Gay and WhiteBox for the first time on German television, at the end of February / beginning of March 2014 the episodes were then repeated.

United Kingdom

The series was first broadcast on November 12, 1992 on BBC One . The third season finale aired on November 7, 1996, before Absolutely Fabulous re-aired with new episodes on August 31, 2001 with the fourth season on BBC One. The finale of the fifth season ran on Christmas Day 2004, December 25, 2004.

When the specials for the 20th anniversary started on BBC One on December 25, 2011, it was broadcast in HDTV for the first time . The last special ran at the beginning of the Olympics, on July 23, 2012.

Worldwide

In the US, it was broadcast on Comedy Central , BBC America , Oxygen Network and Logo . On Canadian television the series was u. a. shown via the Canadian equivalent of the BBC BBC Canada , but also via CBC and The Comedy Network .

Australia's ABC TV station showed all seasons, and replays ran on cable on UK.TV and The Comedy Channel in 2007. Seven Network also repeated the first three seasons. Repetitions of the fifth season continue to run as well as sporadic broadcasts on ABC, the sister station ABC2 shows further repetitions.

Australia's neighbor New Zealand is showing the series on TVNZ , while Indian fans can enjoy all seasons and specials via BBC Entertainment.

In Portugal RTP2 showed Absolutely Fabulous, in Ireland RTÉ Two was commissioned to broadcast it. Serbia showed the first season from 1998, on B92 there were then further broadcasts in 2004, while in the Czech Republic all episodes had already been shown at that time. In Macedonia, Stiel showed the series several times.

Absolutely Fabulous is u. a. popular in the Netherlands and Flanders, broadcast here on VPRO and Canvas .

Sweden provided its viewers with the episodes via the SVT broadcasting association, while in France, in addition to being broadcast via Arte France, the series can also be followed via Jimmy, France 4 and Canal + . The French premiered on the latter.

The series was shown on Finnish television on Yle TV1 , in Estonia Absolutely Fabulous was shown on Eesti Televisioon , while the series was shown in Brazil on GNT .

Absolutely Fabulous could also be followed in Poland. The first two seasons were broadcast on Wizija Jeden, TVP3, TVN7 and BBC Entertainment.

Benefit project

In 1994 the Pet Shop Boys composed and produced a benefit single for the British aid organization Comic Relief and recorded it with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. Song title and artist name were Absolutely Fabulous . In addition to the singing of the Pet Shop Boys, the single also contained dialog excerpts from the series and reached number 6 in the UK charts.

American remake

Roseanne Barr

Carrie Fisher

Barbara Carrera

Roseanne Barr was planning an American version of the series with Carrie Fisher and Barbara Carrera in the lead roles. Many elements from Absolutely Fabulous have already been introduced in Roseanne . So Roseanne Conner wins the lottery in Roseanne and meets Eddy and Patsy at an evening event, who are played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley . Also Mo Gaffney made an appearance, and seems to know Eddy and Patsy, but it does not occur in its role as Bo, but as Astrid (also Bobo called) on.

Although Absolutely Fabulous was already being broadcast in German by Premiere at the time, it was not Isabella Grothe and Angela Stresemann , but also not Traudel Haas and Kerstin Sanders-Dornseif, who were taken for the speaking roles of Saunders and Lumley. Instead they took Manuela Renard for the speaking role of Eddy, Patsy was dubbed by Ilona Grandke .

Film adaptations

Absolument fabuleux

In 2001 a cinema version was made in France with Josiane Balasko (as Edie), Nathalie Baye (as Pat), Marie Gillain (as Safrane), Claude Gensac (as mom), Vincent Elbaz (Jonathan) and Yves Rénier (as Alain). In guest appearances and a. Catherine Deneuve , Chantal Goya and Jennifer Saunders themselves.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Logo of the film

→ Main article : Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Jennifer Saunders told New York Magazine that she would definitely want to make a film about the series. As a backdrop, she had the French Riviera in view. In April 2013, she announced on the Alan Carr Chatty Man Show that she would not take on a film project for the series because the cast was "too old" .

On January 4, 2014, Saunders confirmed during an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show that the film will definitely be shot after being in the conversation for so long. In April 2014, she confirmed to BBC Breakfast that she was still writing a film and said the film would be released later in 2015.

Saunders then confirmed in early 2015 that a first draft of the script had been completed. Joanna Lumley announced in an interview on the ITV program This Morning on July 29, 2015 that the shooting of the new film should start on October 12, 2015 and last around eight weeks. The film is also being shot in the south of France.

The film started in Great Britain on July 1, 2016, before the German dubbed version was shown on German cinema screens from September 8, 2016. In contrast to the last releases, in which only the 2nd dubbed version could be heard, the speakers of the 1st dubbed version are used again in the film for the main roles.

Mirrorball

Mirrorball was the pilot of a new series, with the five leading actresses from the AbFab cast. While filming and writing the series, Saunders was inspired for a fourth season of Absolutely Fabulous. The pilot film was broadcast on British television and released on the British and German DVD for the fourth season (the latter with German subtitles).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Absolutely Fabulous is making a comeback
2. ↑ BBC wants new season AbFab ( Memento from January 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Absolutely Fabulous - 1st Synchro. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on July 17, 2014 . 
4. ↑ Absolutely Fabulous - 2nd Synchro. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on July 17, 2014 . 
5. ↑ Absolutely Fabulous - The Complete Series. Absolutely everything and every special - all 5 seasons, all specials as well as THE LAST SHOUT for the first time and exclusive bonus material on 10 DVDs; polyband, June 24, 2016 ( Memento from August 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ Jennifer Saunders. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on July 17, 2014 . 
7. ↑ Joanna Lumley. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on July 17, 2014 . 
8. ↑ Jennifer Saunders wants to write Absolutely Fabulous Movie; Digital Spy, Jan 4th 2014
9. ↑ Facebook video from BBC Breakfast: Get your Lacroix and beehives at the ready ... Jennifer Saunders confirms she's writing an Ab Fab film !; April 11, 2014
10. ↑ Absolutely Fabulous movie WILL happen in 2015 - 20 years after Jennifer Saunders started writing script; Mirror; January 3, 2015
11. ↑ 'Absolutely Fabulous' Film To Begin Filming In October, Joanna Lumley Reveals On 'This Morning' ; on The Huffington Post website ; 29. July 2015
12. ↑ Synchronized file entry for the film

Web links

Commons : Absolutely Fabulous  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Absolutely Fabulous in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Absolutely Fabulous at Fernsehserien.de
• Official website for the series on the BBC (in English)
• Series page at one.ard.de
• Official website for the series on BBC America (in English)
• Episode Guide (in English)
• Information about the series (in English)
• Official German website for the film