TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman talk to the writers, producers, and performers behind Britain’s biggest TV comedy hits, and hear the inside story of how they brought their programmes to the screen.

In this episode, Jennifer Saunders discusses her BAFTA and Emmy award winning hit Absolutely Fabulous.

She reveals the inspiration for Edina Monsoon, why recordings of the show were always finished by 9.30 pm (clue: the BBC bar closed at 10), and what might charitably be described as Jennifer’s “last minute” approach to script delivery!

With Peter and Jon as our guides, discover how Jennifer went about making a great bit of TV comedy. From the ideas stage through writing and commissioning to casting, and the reception the show received when it first aired.

We’ll do our very best to winkle out some backstage secrets straight from the horse’s mouth, as we hear the unvarnished truth from the people who were there, and who put these iconic shows on the telly.

Original Absolutely Fabulous clips written by Jennifer Saunders

Based on an original idea by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders

Producer: Owen Braben

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Expectation Productions, and first broadcast in May 2020. Show less