With the 18th National Television Awards only two weeks away all the votes in the public choice categories have been counted and a short list has now been released for you to vote for your favourites!

The National Television Awards is a celebration of the last year on our television sets from soap’s to comedy, drama to factual, and whilst many of the awards are decide by an independent panel, the following 14 awards are left for you, the voting public to decide.
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It’s amazing how popular Absolutely Fabulous is on both sides of the Atlantic, and while the resurrection of other classic sitcoms hasn’t been as successful the characters of Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone still seem relevant. We saw them twice over the Christmas period, but the third and final episode of this short run, which is also possibly the last episode ever, focuses on the run up to the Olympic Games however its main theme is how our two central characters aren’t as young as they used to be.

Obviously the running joke throughout Ab Fab is that PR executive Eddy isn’t nearly as well-connected as she used to be, and as the years progress, she’s becoming less relevant as is evidenced in this episode’s earlier scene in which she tries to get at appointment with Stella McCartney only to be snubbed which leads to a very obvious if still very funny A Streetcar Named Desire reference. Read more & comment »

Next Monday, which is July 23, the BBC will air the highly anticipated new episode of Absolutely Fabulous which of course has an Olympics theme.

Airing at 9.30pm on BBC1, the special promises an embarrassment of riches in terms of guest stars, including, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Dame Kelly Holmes and Stella McCartney.

The special – which may be the last Ab Fab ever! – will focus on Eddy’s attempts to rent out her house during the Olympics.

Starring of course Jennifer Saunders as Eddy and Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone, the special also sees the return of June Whitfield as Gran, Julia Sawalha as Saffy, and Jane Horrocks as Bubble.

Also appearing will be Christopher Ryan as Marshall and Mo Gaffney as Bo.

Click ‘Read more’ to see all the spoilers pics as well as clip for the episode and Joanna Lumley talking about making the show… Read more & comment »

The iconic legend that is Stephanie Beacham has joined the cast of hit Sky 1 HD hit supermarket comedy, Trollied, and has promised fans “aisle make you laugh”.

Beacham, who came 5th in the 2010 Celebrity Big Brother, will play the strict new manager for the megastore Valco, working alongside Absolutely Fabulous‘ Jane Horrocks.
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Jennifer Saunders, who of course writes and stars in Absolutely Fabulous, is fronting a documentary about horse riding which is set to air on ITV in August.

Jennifer – who of course battled and overcame breast cancer – will be featured in daily training routines ahead of the Badminton horse trials which take place next month.

Entitled, Jennifer Saunders in the Saddle, we’ll see her working with British Olympic hopefuls including Piggy French and Lauren Shannon among others as she learns to ride competitively.

Speaking to the Mirror about the documentary, and her love of horse riding, Jennifer said, “My only worry about grassroots is that I just won’t have enough riding time… Read more & comment »

Absolutely Fabulous creator and star Jennifer Saunders has told the Daily Mirror that working on the Spice Girls’ musical, Viva Forever, kept her “going” during her treatment for cancer.

Jennifer, who’s married to fellow comedian Ade Edmonson – the couple have three children – explained that she began work on the musical just weeks after she received the diagnosis that she had breast cancer.

She said, “I started writing the musical two months into my breast cancer treatment and it really kept me going.

“It took me a while to get back to a normal pace again, but I had a really great support network around me.”

Jennifer, who was given the ‘all clear’ from her cancer in 2010, also revealed that she thinks the finished musical is going to be something of an emotional journey for the members of the girl band.

She said, “During one read through I played one song and then Emma [Bunton] said ‘Oh I think I’m going to cry I loved this song.’

“It’s a collection of their best memories and they had such a ball, such a great time together… Read more & comment »

As you’re probably aware, it’s Sport Relief night this coming Friday, and for it, supermodel Kate Moss joined up with the Absolutely Fabulous team to record a scene that will be shown during the evening.

Airing on BBC1, we’ll see Kate and the Ab Fab ladies, Patsy Stone and Eddie Monsoon – who are of course played by Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders – as well as Essex model David Gandy and designer Stella McCartney.

Also appearing in the special scene will be former Spice Girl Emma Bunton who’ll be seen at the gym, along with Patsy and Eddie, being trained by athletes Linford Christie and Colin Jackson… Read more & comment »

Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley has revealed that she wants The Spice Girls to star in a movie version of the hit BBC sitcom.

The show’s writer – and of course star – Jennifer Saunders has said that there will be a movie, and BBC insiders have intimated that there’s to be a new series of the show as well, which would air in 2013.

But of the movie, Joanna – who plays Patsy Stone – told the Daily Mirror, “Jennifer [Saunders] is a great magnet!

“She phones people up and they all just say ‘any time’.

“It was lovely to have Emma [Bunton] in the Christmas special and it would be great to have all of The Spice Girls in the movie.”

And of how well received the two new episodes of Ab Fab have been, Joanna told What’s On TV, “The reaction to the Ab Fab specials was extraordinary.

“It’s very lovely to know there is still such a demand for it.” Read more & comment »

Well, it seems like a long way off right now, but a BBC insider has told the Daily Express that Jennifer Saunders IS preparing to write a new series of hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous, which would air in 2013.

As fans of the show will know, over Christmas and New Year, we were treated to two new episodes of the sitcom, with another promised for later this year to tie in with the televising of this year’s Olympics.

The insider told the paper, “The viewing figures prove it’s as popular as ever and there’s a real appetite for more episodes.

“Obviously it’s down to Jennifer to write more and getting all the actors together takes some organising.

“But the current understanding is there will be another Christmas special for the end of 2012 and then more episodes the following year.” Read more & comment »

Here’s part two of the Christmas preview looking at all the laughs and fun that can be had over the Christmas period and also some serious BBC4-like stuff if you’re that way inclined

Comedy 

Absolutely Fabulous (BBC1)
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Jennifer Saunders’ brilliant comedy, the BBC have commissioned two new episodes of the show to air over Christmas and that’s before another treat for Ab Fab fans as there is a film in the works. Eddy is still in PR but is working in the build-up for the 2012 Olympics, the third new episode is set to air at the same time as the games, and she is now worshipping Louis Vitton and Stella McCartney. Meanwhile Patsy still works for her magazine but it seems that Effy wants to be an actress after being presented as a swotty student for all those years. I think if these episodes are done well and the writers have new ideas for the characters then I say bring it on but there’s just a niggling feeling somewhere in me that this may just fail. I am pleased though that the cameo cast includes a bizarre appearance from The Killing star Sophie Grabol. 
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BBC are getting us in the Christmas spirit and this evening they have released a few video clips, showcasing some of the festive programmes they have lined up later this month.

The clip below shows scenes from the hilarious Absolutely Fabulous, and David Jason makes yet another faux pas in The Royal Bodyguard. A new batch of celebrities will take to the dancefloor and throw themselves at Craig Revel Horwood’s mercy on Christmas Strictly Come Dancing and in case the mood needs lightened any more, we can look forward to a themed episode of The Graham Norton Show.

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Twenty years after Eddy, Patsy, Saffy, Bubble and Mother first staggered onto BBC screens, Absolutely Fabulous is back! In the first of three new episodes written by and starring Jennifer Saunders, with Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks and June Whitfield, there’s an awful lot of catching up to do.

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Whoopee! Comedienne and writer Jennifer Saunders has officially confirmed that she’s in the early stages of creating a script for Absolutely Fabulous The Movie.

Speaking to The Times, Jennifer – who of course plays the role of Eddy Monsoon – said, “I want to write Ab Fab: The Movie. We’d have so much fun, and I’ve thought of a really nice idea.”

Jennifer, who will be back on our screens over Christmas with special episodes of the hit sitcom, added, “We thought it would be hilarious if [Edina and Patsy] went to a party on an oligarch’s yacht, got drunk, fell asleep and woke up in the middle of the ocean.

“Everyone else has left, and the ship has been moved on.”

However, at the moment, Jennifer is busy working on a Spice Girls musical, which is to be entitled, Viva Forever, but it’s such good news that there’s to be an Ab Fab movie! Read more & comment »

It’s been reported today that the forthcoming new episodes of Absolutely Fabulous will see main protagonists Eddy Monsoon and Patsy Stone both struggling to stay financially afloat in the current economic crisis.

The comedy pair – who are of course played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley respectively – will be seen having to cut down their lavish, champagne-swilling ways as the credit crunch bites.

Harriet Thorpe, who plays Eddy’s eccentric colleague Fleu, told The Daily Telegraph that while writing for the show, Jennifer aims to keep “everything current”.

She added, “She acknowledges the recession, but doesn’t make it all about that… Read more & comment »

Joanne Lumley has revealed to the PA that she nearly backed out of taking on the role of Patsy Stone in hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous, as she feared she wouldn’t be the right person for the part.

While discussing her first reading for the part of Patsy, Joanna said, “I couldn’t seem to make my character Patsy sound like the person Jennifer was hoping for.

“Jennifer wasn’t very communicative and I thought she didn’t like me.

“To save embarrassment I thought I’d better see if I could back out of it so they weren’t stuck with someone they’d hate.

“I’ve quite a low opinion of myself in that sense. But that wasn’t the case.”

“Jennifer was shy, which is strange when you see people who can be so desperately funny.” Read more & comment »