Absolutely Fabulous (series 2)
Absolutely Fabulous (series 2) | |
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![]() Original UK DVD | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | January 27 – March 10, 1994 |
The second series of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous commenced broadcast on BBC One on 27 January 1994 and consisted of six episodes. This series concluded on 10 March 1994.
Cast
Main
Cast | Character |
---|---|
Jennifer Saunders | Edina Monsoon |
Joanna Lumley | Patsy Stone |
Julia Sawalha | Saffron Monsoon |
Jane Horrocks | Bubble |
June Whitfield | Mother |
Guest stars
- Kathy Burke - Magda
- Helen Lederer - Catriona
- Harriet Thorpe - Fleur
- Jennifer Piercey - Antonia
- Naoko Mori - Sarah
- Llewella Gideon - Nurse
- Orla Brady - Nurse Mary
- David Henry - Mr. Simpson
- Gwen Humble - Sondra Lorrance
- Christopher Ryan - Marshall
- Mark Tandy - Mark
- Natascha Taylor - Art Gallery Assistant
- Ciaran McIntyre - Vicar
- Haroon Hanif - Yentob
- Karim Skalli - Ali
- Mark Wing-Davey - Malcolm
- Christopher Malcolm - Justin
- Miranda Forbes - Woman in Car
- Hugh Ross - Judge
- Helena McCarthy - Old Woman
- Wolf Christian - Fireman
- Jane Galloway - 1950s Nurse
- Mari Mackenzie - Dancer
- Mia Soteriou - Guitar Player
- Suzy Aitchison - 1970s Nurse
Special guest stars
- Mandy Rice-Davies - 'Patsy'
- Helena Bonham Carter - 'Saffy'
- Richard E. Grant - 'Justin'
- Suzi Quatro - 'Nurse'
- Germaine Greer - 'Mother'
- Sylvia Anderson - Voice of Lady Penelope
- John Wells - Uncle Humphrey
- Britt Ekland - Herself
- Lulu - Herself
- Zandra Rhodes - Herself
- Jo Brand - Carmen
- Meera Syal - Suzy
- Adrian Edmondson - Hamish
- Miranda Richardson - Bettina
- Patrick Barlow - Max
- Eleanor Bron - Patsy's Mother
- Philip Franks - Poet
Episodes
No. | Title | Runtime | Original air date | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | "Hospital" | 27 January 1994 | 29 minutes | LLVS602K |
Patsy's indecent outings with an MP land her on the front page of every tabloid in the country, and if that wasn't bad enough, her age is listed as "47". This prompts her to take part in an interview with a reporter from 'Hello!' magazine who doesn't even know who Patsy is. Patsy prepares for the interview by improvising a facelift with surgical tape, then discovers the photographer won't be along for some time. Meanwhile, Eddy has a pain in her big toe, and after calling her doctor in Switzerland, she decides to go to a private hospital for surgery. Patsy tags along, planning to get a chemical peel and some eyelid rejuvenation before the Hello! photographer arrives. At the hospital, Edina and Patsy make life hell for the nurses and staff. While anesthetised, Edina dreams that she's on her deathbed and is receiving farewell visits from idealised versions of her family and friends: her daughter, played by Helena Bonham Carter, has followed in her footsteps; her ex-husband Justin – who is Richard E. Grant – still adores her and only told everyone he was gay because he could never love another woman; her mother is Germaine Greer; and Patsy who is Mandy Rice-Davies tells her how much she envies her good bone structure. Suzi Quatro also sings her a song. In an adjoining operating room, Patsy dreams of looking young for her Hello! spread. In the end, it all goes pear shaped; Edina wakes to find that her toe pains were caused by a stray acupuncture needle which worked its way from her cranium to her toe, and Patsy's skin is burned off her face. On seeing Patsy's face, Edina's mother collapses and staff attempt to restore order but Edina demands the staff take her to an NHS hospital. Also appearing: Sylvia Anderson (Voice Of Lady Penelope), Helena Bonham Carter ('Saffy'), Orla Brady (Nurse Mary), Llewella Gideon (Nurse), Richard E. Grant ('Justin'), Germaine Greer ('Mother'), David Henry (Mr Simpson), Jennifer Piercey (Antonia), Suzi Quatro ('Nurse'), Mandy Rice-Davies ('Patsy') | ||||
8 | "Death" | 3 February 1994 | 29 minutes | LLVS606L |
Edina's father has died. Gran is taking it in her stride, Saffron is beside herself with grief, but Edina doesn't seem bothered. Eventually, the reality of the situation hits her: it dawns on her that some day she is going to die. The next day, she buys a whole lot of very expensive artwork to "bequeath to the nation". Marshall drops by with his new girlfriend, a self-help therapist who is only too keen on discussing death, until she finds out that the body is to be brought to Edina's living room for the wake. Later, while Eddy is showing Patsy her new artwork, they happen to notice the coffin in the midst of it all and wonder whether it's art. Saffron, completely fed up by her mother's selfish attitude, bans Edina from the funeral, leaving her and Patsy to drown their sorrows. Edina suddenly decides she wants to go to the funeral, and she takes Patsy along. At the cemetery, Edina stumbles drunkenly into her father's grave and Patsy falls into another open grave close by. No one offers to help, and Eddy and Patsy struggle to climb out. Also appearing: Llewella Gideon (Nurse), Gwen Humble (Sondra Lorrance), Ciaran McIntyre (Vicar), Mark Tandy (Mark), Natascha McElhone (Art Gallery Assistant) | ||||
9 | "Morocco" | 10 February 1994 | 30 minutes | LLVS605S |
Edina, Patsy, and Saffron head to Marrakech for various reasons: Edina and Patsy are collaborating on a photo shoot for PopSpecs and are also looking forward to Moroccan shopping; while Saffron hopes to study the indigenous peoples for school. Upon their arrival, Patsy and Eddy go directly to a luxurious villa. There, they meet up with an old friend named Humphrey who introduces himself to Saffy by sexually harassing her. At dinner, it is revealed that Patsy spent a year living as a man until "it fell off," as Edina puts it. The following day, during a shopping trip at an immense outdoor bazaar, Patsy gets fed up with Saffy and sells her into slavery for 2000 dirham. Later, Edina and Patsy venture out into the country for the PopSpecs shoot but end up stranded in the Atlas Mountains, dirty and looking for somewhere to stop at. After wandering around for a day or two, hopelessly lost, they encounter Saffy wearing a burqa and carrying a heavy burden on her head and are rescued. They spend the last few days of their vacation drugged and unconscious while Saffy turns out to have had a few adventures on her own – including a honey-and-yoghurt experience involving Yentob (a hotel staffer) that she wants to keep secret from her mother. Also appearing: Harroun Hanif (Yentob), Karim Skalli (Ali), John Wells (Uncle Humphrey) | ||||
10 | "New Best Friend" | 24 February 1994 | 29 minutes | LLVS604Y |
Edina is in a hurry to get the house ready for the minimalist tastes of her friend Bettina and husband Max. As a result, Saffron temporarily moves into her university's halls of residence and Patsy is pretty much ignored. When Bettina and Max arrive, however, they are no longer into minimalism and turn out to be the angry, frantic parents of a newborn baby. Patsy reaches her limit with Edina's plans and storms out. Edina tries to be patient with her houseguests, but they cause so much havoc in the house that she leaves for a while. At Joe's Cafe, Edina and Patsy try to go one up from each other: Patsy gatecrashes a lunch with Zandra Rhodes and Britt Ekland, claiming that they all knew each other years ago, and Edina forces her client Lulu to have lunch with her. Both lunches end awkwardly. Back home, Saffron returns to find Edina plotting to get rid of Bettina and Max. As Saffron and Gran comfort Bettina, Edina and Max have a quick fling which can be heard via the baby transmitter in the kitchen! Bettina and Max leave, and it turns out that that was the intended result of Edina's fling. She and Patsy make up after. Also appearing: Patrick Barlow (Max), Jo Brand (Carmen), Britt Ekland (Herself), Lulu (Herself), Zandra Rhodes (Herself), Miranda Richardson (Bettina), Meera Syal (Suzy) | ||||
11 | "Poor" | 3 March 1994 | 28 minutes | LLVS601R |
Edina finds out that both Marshall and Justin have cut off their alimony payments, thereby leaving her "poor". Dreading being forced to do community service in "urine-stinking old people's homes for the incontinent," she reluctantly agrees to economise. However, a trip with Patsy to the supermarket is more than they bargained for; on the way there, they assault a driver who beeps her horn at them, and when they get to the supermarket, they fill three trolleys with groceries and steal a case of champagne. Edina's "smaller" Alfa Romeo car gets clamped outside of Harvey Nichols, and they are later arrested for drunk driving and many other charges. On the day of the trial, Edina tries to justify her actions, but it makes no difference; in addition to a huge fine, she and Patsy are sentenced to community service. Their task is to install loft insulation into an old people's home. Also appearing: Miranda Forbes (Woman In Car), Helena McCarthy (Old Woman), Hugh Ross (Judge), Mark Wing-Davey (Malcolm) | ||||
12 | "Birth" | 10 March 1994 | 29 minutes | LLVS603E |
Patsy causes a fire in the kitchen by falling asleep with a lit cigarette. The following day, Edina considers a new look for the kitchen as well as her bedroom. The center of life in the Monsoon house soon shifts to the living room, where Saffron is planning on having a friend over for a study session on the beginnings of life, though it is later clear that she has far more erotic plans. Edina and Patsy, who are supposed to go out later, want to hang around for the meeting, but everything changes when Gran accidentally locks all three inside the room. As they are shut inside, they exchange stories about their own births: Saffron was supposedly born on a carpet of roses, Edina's birth was all about sterilisation, and an abandoned Patsy entered the world via her mother's Bohemian lair in Paris. Gran unlocks the door, and Edina and Patsy leave. The episode ends with a flashback to Edina planning on giving Saffron up for adoption. Also appearing: Suzy Aitchison (Nurse), Eleanor Bron (Patsy's Mother), Wolf Christian (Fireman), Philip Franks (Writer), Jane Galloway (Nurse), Mary Mackenzie (Dancer), Mia Soteriou (Guitar Player) |
Awards
- International Emmy Award for Popular Arts - for episode "Hospital" (tied with Red Dwarf)
- BAFTA Award for Best Comedy Performance - Joanna Lumley[1]
- —Nominated: BAFTA Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series) Jon Plowman, Jennifer Saunders & Bob Spiers[1]
- —Nominated: British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress - Jennifer Saunders
- —Nominated: British Comedy Award for Best BBC Sitcom - Absolutely Fabulous
- —Nominated: CableACE Award for International Dramatic or Comedy Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries - Jon Plowman (executive producer)
Release
Reception
Episode | IMDb rating | TV.com rating | TheTVDB rating |
---|---|---|---|
2.1 | 8.6/10 | 8.8/10 | 8/10 |
2.2 | 8.6/10 | 9.1/10 | 9/10 |
2.3 | 8.4/10 | 8.9/10 | 8/10 |
2.4 | 8.3/10 | 8.7/10 | 8/10 |
2.5 | 8.7/10 | 9.2/10 | 8/10 |
2.6 | 8.2/10 | 8.8/10 | 9/10 |
Home Media
VHS
- "Series 2" - volume 1 "Hospital"/"Death"/"Morocco" - 19 October 1994[2]
- "Series 2" - volume 2 "New Best Friend"/"Poor"/"Birth" - 19 October 1994[3]
- "The Complete Series 2" - 3 June 1996[4]
- As part of the "Series 1-3" VHS set (6-VHS set)[5]
- As part of the "Series 1-4" VHS set 25 November 2002 (8-VHS set)[6]
- "The Complete Series 2" re-release - 25 November 2002[7]
DVD United Kingdom
- "The Complete Series 2" - 1 October 2001[8]
- As part of "Series 1-4" DVD set - 25 November 2002 (5-disc set)[9]
- As part of "Absolutely Everything" DVD set - 15 November 2010 (10-disc set includes Series 1-5 & specials)[10]
- As part of "Absolutely Everything: Definitive Edition" - 17 March 2014 (11-disc set includes Series 1-5, specials & 20th Anniversary specials)[11]
United States
- "The Complete Series 2" - 13 March 2001[12]
- "The Complete Series 2" (re-release) - 13 September 2005[13]
- As part of the "Series 1-3" DVD set - 13 March 2001 (4-disc set)[14]
- As part of the "Series 1-3" DVD set re-release - 4 October 2005 (4-disc set)[15]
- As part of the "Absolutely Everything" DVD set - 27 May 2008 (9-disc set includes Series 1-5 & specials)[16]
- As Part of the "Absolutely All of It!" DVD set - 5 November 2013 (10-disc set includes Series 1-5, specials & 20th Anniversary Specials)[17]
Australia
- "The Complete Series 2" - 28 February 2002[18]
- As part of the "Absolutely Everything" DVD set - 20 April 2006 (9-disc set includes Series 1-5 & specials; excluding "The Last Shout")[19]
- As part of the "Complete Collection" DVD set - 5 April 2011 (10-disc set includes Series 1-5 & specials)[20]
- As Part of the "Absolutely Everything: Definitive Edition" - 30 April 2014 (11-disc set includes Series 1-5, specials & 20th Anniversary specials)[21]
References
- 1 2 "Television in 1995". bafta.org. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Series 2 - Hospital". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Series 2 - New Best Friend". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous - Series 2". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: (Box Set)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous Series 1-4 Box Set". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 2". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous - Series 2". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Series 1-4 Box Set DVD". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything DVD". Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything DVD". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 2". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Complete Series 2 DVD". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Series 1 to 3 DVD". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 1-3". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely All of It DVD". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything". blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous Series 2 on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous Complete Collection on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous Series 1 5 Plus Specials Complete Collection on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous Absolutely Everything The Definitive Edition on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
External links
- Absolutely Fabulous at the Internet Movie Database
- Absolutely Fabulous Season 2 at the Internet Movie Database