Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders), the head of a PR firm, and her best friend Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), a magazine fashion director, desperately try to remain young and trendy through a haze of champagne and narcotics. Their hedonistic lifestyle is a source of constant irritation to Edina’s studious and disapproving teenage daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha). The chaotic household is completed by Edina’s cheerfully eccentric mother (June Whitfield) and her vapid personal assistant, Bubble (Jane Horrocks).
The series originated as a sketch on the French and Saunders comedy show before being developed into a full programme by Jennifer Saunders. Its success was built on its sharp satire of the fashion and media industries, exaggerated characterisations, and the central comedic pairing of Saunders and Joanna Lumley. The programme became a significant popular culture export and was revived for multiple specials and further series as well as a big screen outing.
Broadcast: BBC2/BBC1, various dates between 1992 and 2012
Written by: Jennifer Saunders (with Dawn French on series one)
Producers: Jon Plowman, Justin Davies, Jo Sargent
Main Cast: Jennifer Saunders (Edina Monsoon), Joanna Lumley (Patsy Stone), Julia Sawalha (Saffron Monsoon), June Whitfield (Mother), Jane Horrocks (Bubble)
