Absolutely Fabulous

Developed from a sketch in French and Saunders in which Jennifer Saunders played a baseball-capped mother being chastised by her straight-laced daughter (Dawn French), Absolutely Fabulous emerged in 1992 as a gloriously anarchic sitcom that gleefully trampled on notions of good taste, political correctness, and traditional gender roles. The pilot episode may have been dismissed by one television executive with the remark, "I don't think women being drunk is funny," but judging by the reaction from both critics and audiences, he was very much in the minority. The first season alone scooped two BAFTA Awards and catapulted the show into the pantheon of British comedy greats. In doing so, it also gave television yet another unforgettable icon.

In her first solo lead role, Saunders portrayed Edina Monsoon, a late 30-something ex-hippie turned PR maven, hopelessly clinging to youth through fashion, fad diets, and far too much Bolly. Her partner-in-crime was the irrepressible Patsy Stone — played with scene-stealing flamboyance by Joanna Lumley — an alcoholic, pill-popping fashion magazine editor whose withering put-downs and waspish one-liners were matched only by her formidable appetite for self-destruction. Together, Edina and Patsy navigated London’s trendiest hotspots, hobnobbed with the glitterati, and remained resolutely oblivious to the chaos they left in their wake.

Providing the voice of reason was Edina’s daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha), a bookish, straight-laced teenager who looked on aghast as her mother indulged in a life of sex and drugs and rock n' roll. Sharing their Holland Park residence were Edina’s mother (the ever-charming June Whitfield) and the delightfully bizarre Bubble (Jane Horrocks), whose wardrobe was as baffling as her grasp of reality, played Edina's secretary. Occasional appearances from Adrian Edmondson, Saunders’ real-life husband, added further texture to the show’s chaotic world.

While Saunders’ creation provided no shortage of laughs, it was Lumley’s career-defining performance as Patsy that earned the greatest acclaim. Throwing off her prior image of refined elegance, Lumley delivered a grotesquely brilliant turn that bordered on caricature, yet always remained compelling. The show’s brashness may have proved too much for American network television — Roseanne Barr's attempt at a US adaptation foundered when ABC demanded a toned-down version — but British audiences embraced AbFab’s unfiltered hedonism.

Set to a spirited rendition of Bob Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire, sung by Saunders and Julie Driscoll, the show was vulgar, tasteless, and outrageously funny. Like a Gerald Scarfe cartoon brought to life, Absolutely Fabulous was both a savage satire and an affectionate homage to excess. Its success was a testament not only to its comic timing and quotable script but also to the boldness of its vision - a modern sitcom led by deeply flawed, unapologetic women, which was as rare as it was brilliant.

In short, Absolutely Fabulous lived up to its name. Darlings, it was divine.