Exciting news for Absolutely Fabulous fans! Joanna Lumley has confirmed that the popular sitcom will return to screens as a feature film – and production is set to start in October.
Joanna, 69, will reprise her role as Patsy Stone, the hard-drinking magazine editor and best friend of PR agent Edina Monsoon, who is played by Jennifer Saunders.
Making an appearance on This Morning, Joanna confirmed that the "same old gang" would be starring.
"We are all there, the same old gang," Joanna Lumley confirmed
"She [Jennifer Saunders] has written it," said the actress. "It'd be wrong for me to say that I've completely read it because I think it's been changing, but we are starting filming it on 12 October.
"We are all there, the same old gang. Lots of people you will have seen in it before. I think we are going down to the south of France to do some of the shooting there. It'll all be shot on location. It is going to be ravishingly funny! Very gorgeous… and [in a Patsy voice] completely fabulous!"
The 69-year-old actress, who plays Patsy Stone, will re-create her character's beehive
On bringing back her character's trademark beehive hairstyle, Joanna said: "I usually use my own hair, but that was only for one show a week in front of an audience. But this time I thought when you are shooting for seven weeks every day, I think I am going to give it a bit of a break.
"So if, dear viewers, I look a bit strange, with something like that on my head with my hair scraped on top of it you know it's still me. Jennifer used to call it Mr Whippy because it went up so high."
Jennifer Saunders has written the script for the new Absolutely Fabulous film
Joanna and Jennifer began starring on the BBC sitcom, affectionately known as Ab Fab, in 1992. In 2011 the former model announced that she and Jennifer would reprise their roles for three episodes to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary.
The idea to transform the programme into a feature film was something the pair "had to do before [they] die".
"I think that's why I didn't do it for a while," script writer Jennifer previously told Loose Women. "I thought, wouldn't it be awful if it was awful but now we're all so old, Joanna said to me 'Do it before we die!' We're all on the brink."
The 57-year-old star added: "It involves all the main characters and virtually everyone that's ever been in the series, all those characters."