BBC Worldwide Strikes Co-Production Deal For Absolutely Fabulous

BBC Worldwide Sales and Distribution, announced today that comedy phenomenon Absolutely Fabulous will return to television with three brand new specials, with BBC AMERICA and Logo serving as joint American co-producers for the series. Comedy sensations Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will reprise their celebrated roles as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone. The duo last teamed up for the BBC AMERICA comedy, Clatterford in 2006.

Twenty years ago the world was introduced to Edina, Patsy and Saffron. It has never been quite the same. Eddy PR'd things. She was into every new fad and fashion imaginable and was often to be found at the bottom of a Champagne glass, actually more likely a bottle. Not much has changed. Her best friend Patsy worked in magazines and lived the high life. She still does. Eddy's daughter Saffy was hard-working, all but ignored by her mother and hated by Patsy. Eddy's mother was and is, well, her mother. They are all back for three new shows, 20 years after they first fell on to television.

Jennifer Saunders said, "We are thrilled to be able to celebrate our 20th birthday with all of the original cast. We hope that, like a good bottle of champagne we have grown better with age but lost none of our sparkle. Viewers in the US have been very kind to the show over the years and we are very happy to return on not one but two US channels at once, BBC AMERICA and Logo. We fully intend to party like it's 1991. When we started filming in West London, it was like time had stood still. It was raining. Nevertheless we are so happy to be working for an audience that has grown just a tiny bit older, like us, but is still willing to let us fall over on TV in the name of PR."

Executive Producer Jon Plowman said, "People in the US have been fantastically loyal in their devotion to our show, so we really are thrilled to say that it's coming back for three new shows to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I can divulge that all of us have got a bit older, though we will be doing our best not to show it, and thankfully none of us have got any wiser. All of the originals who are back together again are still truly absolutely fabulous and we hope that the new adventures of Edina, Patsy, Saffy, Bubble and Mother, plus a few surprising guests, will entertain both our tried and trusted US fans as well as gain us some new friends. We are hugely grateful to BBC AMERICA and Logo for welcoming us all back with open arms."

The deal was brokered by Jemma Adkins, SVP, TV Sales & Co-Productions - Fiction, BBC Worldwide America. BBC Worldwide owns global distribution rights to the new specials.

The original Absolutely Fabulous series has been a part of BBC AMERICA's flagship line-up over the years. Logo began airing the first five seasons of Absolutely Fabulous in April 2011, to great success.

Absolutely Fabulous is a BBC Comedy production, and has been written by Jennifer Saunders. Directed by Mandy Fletcher and produced by Justin Davies. Executive Producer is Jon Plowman.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 68 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. 

ABOUT LOGO

Logo is the entertainment network for savvy and trendsetting adult viewers from MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B). Launched in 2005, Logo's cable channel is in more than 48 million homes across the United States and is complemented by a federation of online properties, including LogoTV.com, TripOutTravel.com, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com, 365Gay.com, DowneLink.com and NewNowNext.com. Logo's content is distributed across all leading download-to-own, streaming and mobile services. The most influential brand for the most influential audience, Logo provides a mix of original and acquired entertainment as well as news, social networking and community building that are authentic, smart, fun, entertaining, and inclusive. Logo joins MTV Networks' roster of popular and highly targeted brands which include MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and Spike TV.

To post a comment, you must register and login.