Though Absolutely Fabulous has been successful for years, creator Jennifer Saunders has so far resisted the temptation to transfer the format to the big screen. But now, according to Deadline, she may well be on the verge of getting a film together.
Absolutely Fabulous has lived something of a charmed life, becoming a hit back in 1992 and running for five series, before retiring with its popularity levels still high. It came back in 2001 for another four series, and though the reception wasn’t quite as rapturous, it still got decent ratings.
The plot, for those who’ve never glanced at an episode, revolves around PR guru Edina (Saunders), who acts like a spoiled teenager, much to the dismay of straight-arrow daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha). Edina’s aided in her pursuit of a crazy lifestyle by sex-mad drink-craving BFF Patsy (Joanna Lumley).
There are no solid plans in place just yet, though BBC Films is hoping Saunders will write the script next year once she’s finished working on the (shudder) Spice Girls musical. The film’s plot will apparently start with Edina and Patsy waking up hung over in a deserted yacht owned by a tycoon with little memory of what happened and no mobile signal. While it doesn’t sound like they were on holiday, you do have to wonder why almost every UK sitcom picks a foreign destination as the focus for its film version. Must be something to do with the weather.