--- title: "Absolutely Fabulous" year: 1992 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous" fi1m_id: "absolutely-fabulous" imdb_id: "tt0105929" tmdb_id: 4493 wikidata_id: "Q332554" fi1m_score: 81 critics_reviews: 2 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-20T21:00:24.610774+00:00" region: "RO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Absolutely Fabulous (1992) Created by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders · 30m · Comedy ## Identity Absolutely Fabulous - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** absolutely-fabulous - **IMDb ID:** tt0105929 - **TMDB ID:** 4493 - **Wikidata ID:** Q332554 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105929/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/4493, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q332554 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Joanna Lumley makes drunken contempt look like a professional qualification > Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are ferociously funny together in *Absolutely Fabulous*. Celebrity appearances sometimes interrupt the better jokes, but the regular cast makes these selfish, exhausting people worth spending half an hour with. ## Synopsis Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) are at the centre of this comedy of fashion, drinking and celebrity. Patsy works as a fashion journalist, with alcohol a regular part of her life, and Edina is her companion in a succession of situations shaped by tabloid culture. Saffron, known as Saffy (Julia Sawalha), Mother (June Whitfield) and Bubble (Jane Horrocks) are among the people around them. Written by Saunders, the series follows the pair through half-hour episodes in which guest stars join the regular cast and personalities collide. ## Review *Absolutely Fabulous* understands the appeal of people we would make some effort to avoid at dinner. Jennifer Saunders writes and plays Edina Monsoon, with Joanna Lumley as her foil, Patsy Stone. Their performances make this a sharply funny sitcom, worth recommending with a warning about the occasional celebrity guest and overworked situation. The half-hour format helps us enjoy their company without having to endure quite as much of it as the other characters do. Lumley is the chief reason to begin. Patsy’s work in fashion and her drinking give the performance plenty of obvious targets, and Lumley could settle for making her noisily unpleasant. Instead, she gives Patsy’s contempt such assurance that being disagreed with seems to offend her on professional grounds. We laughed at the seriousness with which she dismisses other people, then felt a little ashamed of enjoying it. Lumley makes that small discomfort part of the pleasure. Saunders has the more difficult comic job, since Edina must be substantial enough to withstand Patsy rather than simply wait for her next remark. There is something satisfyingly undignified about her performance: she allows Edina to be irritating without trying to make us like her. The writing occasionally presses too hard, asking an exaggerated response to do the work of a fresh joke. Most of the time, though, Saunders knows how funny someone can be when they cannot see why anyone else should object. Julia Sawalha’s Saffron, or Saffy, is essential to making that objection count. Sawalha has enough firmness to register alongside the leads, and keeps their behaviour from becoming the only available way of seeing things. June Whitfield, as Mother, is particularly good at giving the comedy a quieter emphasis without letting it lose momentum. The supporting performances help us notice how unreasonable Edina and Patsy are, even while the leads are getting the biggest laughs. Directors including Bob Spiers and Dewi Humphreys give the actors space to be funny together. The timing depends on how long Patsy can let her disdain sit before somebody answers her, or how insistently Edina can prolong a complaint. Those exchanges are generally well handled, and they suit a programme that runs to 30 minutes. There is little need to make the situations bigger when the cast can make an ordinary disagreement this aggravating. The weaker stretches mistake additional fuss for additional comedy. Tabloid material fits Patsy and Edina well, but some celebrity appearances require recognition to supply the laugh, and the broader sequences can continue after their jokes have run out. The second series sometimes strains this way, even though the performances remain strong. The frustration is that the regular cast remains capable of making a smaller scene much funnier. As a sitcom, this is unusually willing to let its central women be unpleasant without making their reform the evening’s business. Saunders and Lumley pay close attention to the qualities that would make their characters intolerable across a table. There is affection in the playing, and enough confidence to let us decide how much sympathy either woman deserves. Watch for the regulars, and allow for the occasional guest who takes rather too long to leave. *Fi1m score 81, published 13 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Absolutely Fabulous worth watching?** *Absolutely Fabulous* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a sitcom built around two women behaving badly without apology, and we scored it 81. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are ferociously funny together, and the supporting cast keeps their selfishness in proportion. Allow for the occasional celebrity guest who outstays the joke. **How long is Absolutely Fabulous, and what is it rated?** *Absolutely Fabulous* has episodes of about 30m. It is a comedy series. **Where can I watch Absolutely Fabulous in Romania?** *Absolutely Fabulous* is not on any streaming or rental service in Romania at the moment. It is available in 8 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Absolutely Fabulous, and is it suitable for children?** *Absolutely Fabulous* is not violent or frightening, but its UK 15 certificate reflects a comedy of heavy drinking, contempt and adult behaviour played for laughs rather than corrected. It suits older teenagers and adults who can enjoy unpleasant people from a safe distance. Younger children would find little in it for them. **How does Absolutely Fabulous compare to Nighty Night?** *Absolutely Fabulous* is the warmer and more forgiving of the two, while [*Nighty Night*](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night) takes sitcom selfishness somewhere far crueller and more alarming. Saunders and Lumley let us decide how much sympathy Edina and Patsy deserve; Julia Davis gives Jill Tyrrell none at all. Start with the earlier programme unless you want your comedy to draw blood. **What should I watch after Absolutely Fabulous?** After *Absolutely Fabulous*, try [*Daisies*](https://film.one/film/daisies) (1966, Fi1m 85): Two badly behaved women take the destruction considerably further, with gleeful visual invention. Then [*Nighty Night*](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night) (2004, Fi1m 82): For those who want their sitcom selfishness taken somewhere substantially more alarming. ### Reviews we read (2) - **Variety**, Derek Elley (75/100, inferred): The second series roars into primetime with guest stars and tabloid-inspired plots, showing it has enough gas to continue despite occasional strain in the opener. Lumley excels as the alcoholic fashion hack Patsy and Saunders as her foil Edina, with strong support from Sawalha and Whitfield, though some celeb spots and over-the-top sequences detract from the character comedy. [Read](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/absolutely-fabulous-1200435979/) - **Paste**, Katy Kostakis (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the enduring appeal of Edina and Patsy as iconic, bawdy comedy characters whose antics remain fresh 30 years later. She highlights the show's satirical take on fashion, media, and excess as its standout quality. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/absolutely-fabulous/absolutely-fabulous-streaming-abfab-legacy-edina-patsy-fashion) ## Details - **Created by:** Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders - **Creator:** Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders - **Director:** Bob Spiers, Dewi Humphreys, Mandie Fletcher, Christine Gernon - **Writer:** Jennifer Saunders - **Producer:** Jon Plowman, Jonathan P. Llewellyn, Justin Davies - **Cast:** Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon; Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone; Julia Sawalha as Saffron 'Saffy' Monsoon; June Whitfield as Mother; Jane Horrocks as Bubble / Katy Grin / Radio Presenter (voice); Celia Imrie as Claudia Bing; Kate O'Mara as Jackie Stone; James Dreyfus as Christopher - **Runtime:** 30m - **Release (Romania):** 12 November 1992 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms9LQAZ-siU ## Where to watch in Romania Not streaming, renting or buying in Romania at the last check. Also available in: AT, AU, CA, DE, GB, NZ, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Auntie Mame* (1958): Another forceful woman makes respectable company wish it had stayed at home. - *Kath & Kim* (2002): Family friction and social ambition, played with a similarly unsparing ear for vanity. - *The Comeback* (2005): Celebrity hunger becomes painfully funny through a lead performance that refuses easy sympathy. - *Daisies* (1966), Fi1m 85: Two badly behaved women take the destruction considerably further, with gleeful visual invention. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/daisies.md) - *Nighty Night* (2004), Fi1m 82: For those who want their sitcom selfishness taken somewhere substantially more alarming. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous