ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS JOANNA LUMLEY

Absolutely Fabulous is an irreverent British comedy series about two self-indulgent, image-obsessed, drug-guzzling, fame-starved, chain-smoking, alcoholic and prosperous over-40 women, created by Jennifer Saunders. In a nutshell, not your standard prime-time fare, but funnier than the Pope playing bongos on a nudist beach. One has to see it to believe it, since there isn't one single show on American TV to which it may be compared. Saunders, who also plays the lead role of the utterly immature Edina Monsoon, had the wisdom to cast 70s bombshell Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone, Edina's best friend, wing woman and constant encourager of deviant behavior. Lumley, who achieved cult figure status portraying sexy hi-kicking agent Purdey in the 70s spy-action series The New Avengers, truly shines in her role, revealing an uncanny gift for comedy and self-deprecation. Lovers of irreverent comedy cannot go another day without discovering Absolutely Fabulous. It's like loving Italian food, but never having tried pasta.