funky's TOP 30 Absolutely Fabulous MOMENTS

Funky

Funky

User
Joined
Apr 30, 2004
Messages
95,520
aka The Gayest Thread Ever.

I actually compiled this ages ago, I think the last time we were chatting about the show and I had another quiet day at work (like today).

It's not really a scientific look at most important and significant scenes, just pretty much based on LOL factor, so it's quite subjective, and will hopefully get people CHATTING

Shall we start?

SPARKLE! :Oi:

Absolutely-Fabulous-cc13.jpg
 
to get us in the MOOD, have y'all seen this? Their cameo on Roseanne?

It's not brilliant, but there are some funny moments, particularly with Patsy and Roseanne's sister

Also significant for the fact that they must get the best studio audience reaction of any guest on Roseanne in its (97 year) history...



"Sis here is dating a PRINCE!"
"Well if it's one of ours it must be EDWARD..."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm currently having an Ab Fab RENAISSANCE on youtube thanks to RECENT MOOPY BUMPAGE.

And a thread started by you could never be the gayest thread on moopy, dear :)
 
Tina Fey namechecked Ab Fab as a major influence in an interview I read recently. It must have something of a US following.
 
30. "Great, cheers, thanks a lot..."
Magazine, Season 1

Back at the humble beginnings the show was much more focused around Eddy and Patsy's work: PR and fashion. As a result an entire episode was dedicated to the duo joining forces to put two "tragic cases" in designer dresses and parade them on television. The big joke was simply the fact that Patsy even bothered to go into the office that day, and the episode is famous for the moment when we really get to see Patsy and Saffy interact properly for the first time, when Patsy has to convince Saffy to be one of her fashion guinea pigs.

But the scene in question is the culmination of the episode when Patsy, convinced the gig will be "a piece of cake" finally makes it to the studio and seizes up, live, on camera. It's the first time we get her "cheers, thanks a lot" catchprase too.

Of course it's really all about Dawn French. Her one and only appearance across 5 seasons sees her playing a Lorraine Kelly type character (without the accent) and although we've seen French & Saunders parody this before, it's usually Saunders playing the host, so this was a revelation. Everything from euthanasia to Claire Rayner is attacked, and it's just a brilliantly cringeworthy assessment of morning television.

And like all good AbFab moments, there's the pay off at the end:

"Sorry Patsy but even Amanda De Cadanet would remember the word ACCESSORIES..."

 
Last edited by a moderator:
29. "Erm, I'm not Serge..."
Gay, TV special

I absolutely love Gay. This is actually the first of three scenes from this special episode on the list.

Their on-site scenes when they do their jaunts tend not to be their best moments, and most of the trips tend to be done in montage format (much like the montage at the end of this episode when they go to fashion week, which is amusing, but not hilarious). But there is one scene her which I just absolutely love: the scene in the library when she meets her son for the first time in years.

There's already been a lot of running jokes throughout the series: Eddy not remembering what he looks like, Eddy's complete obsession with mothering him despite being a terrible mother, Patsy not having any interest in adding another child to the stable whatsoever. This all culminates in an utterly RANDOM scenario where Eddy mistakes Serge for his gay boyfriend, then a book ( :D ) and then Serge goes on an emotional tirade, letting out all of his anger about why he left ("my books! Why did you burn my books?!") only for Patsy to finish off the scene with her usual warmth and grace:

"WE WERE COLD!" :Oi:

There's also the amazing irony throughout that Eddy, longing to be a fag hag, is overjoyed by having a gay son, and yet he turns out to be a complete nerd. Brilliant.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
My copy of GAY has been STOLEN I discovered yesterday.

Either that or it's gone missing. Either way NOT HAPPY! :Oi:
 
oh and how could I forget the gayest line in the history of Ab Fab

"Pats where have you BEEN?"

"Sorry I had my head wedged under the ERICA YONGS..."
 
28. "SKIN... is in..."
Magazine, Season 1

back to the Magazine episode again, and this time we're introduced to Patsy's office. ("The MAGAZINE Pats, is that still THERE?")

It's the first time we get to see the wonderful trio of Magda, Fleur and Catronia, and it's just a series of wonderful lines, really focusing on the superficiality of fashion publishing. Magda is the bitch editor ("cross her off, she screwed me... oh and put him in, he screwed me..."), Fleur is the nonsensical beauty editor ("eyes are going back while lips are receding...") and Catriona is the fantastically barmy features editor ("maybe we could do some lovely... PHOTOS!").

As always it's completely silly (which is why I love it) but held together by great writing and perfect delivery from the always amazing Kathy Burke -

"do something about a car. I need a new car. A nice one, no rubbish... and something about how lovely champagne is."


<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-JAf3mYJVSo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-JAf3mYJVSo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
funky - you have now TAKEN UP MY DAY as I can't NOT watch these clips :o
 
27. "There's No Limits"
Morocco, Season 2

One of my favourite episodes, and this is certainly one of the most famous moments. By season 2, Bubble had emerged as one of the show highlights: short cameos that wowed the audience with her ridiculous fashion and complete lack of intelligence.

She's only in the episode for about 3 minutes but she owns the scene from her opening shot: the completely mad Old Gloria outfit, the hilarious bangin up walkman to bring 2 Unlimited up to full speed and singing along (not as funny after the 300th time of watching but back then it was fucking hilarious) and then the excrutiating conversation between Eddy and Bubble about the broken computer, including the joke that everyone remembers:

"little animal, with a ball, creeps about... NOT A RAT!"

I love how the completely dosile Bubble contrasts with the chaos going on around her as everyone gets ready to leave for the trip to Morocco

"Eddy get rid of her I'm running into a very tight schedule I've got customs and a meeting in the club class cocktail lounge in 40 minutes!"

And lest we forget the too oft quoted and copied line of legend:

"TICKETS MONEY PASSPORT!"



it's in the middle...

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6wnxQSq2Teo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6wnxQSq2Teo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
I am LOVING this thread, may have to dig out my DVDs this evening for a rewatch.

I also posted a link to this on Jennifer Saunders facebook page so we might get a few visitors out of it.
 
ugh another meeting, I'll be back in a bit for another slice of season 1...
 
Oh lovely, FALLING IN THE GRAVE FTW

Or June Whitfield with the condoms on her hands, or any Titicaca abuse. Or the smart car. Or Patsy after the fire, or Saffy's play, or CARPET MADNESS. And there's some i've probably not even seen because most of it was before my time, apart from the later series when i was just about old enough to get it. I always find the scripts a bit too saggy (as with virtually anything that Saunders writes really) but the performance are total works of art and what make it great, imo.

Although it's UK tv so say SERIES not SEASON :evil:
 
26. "So far, Sinitta and Anne Robinson DEFINITE..."
Fashion, Season 1


ah, where it all began. The pilot episode that would launch a thousand catchphrases for gays everywhere.

Within the madness of Eddy preparing for her fashion show, we are introduced to Bubble, again in a short sequence, and we learn quickly that she isn't the best person to have around in a crisis. It's not just the lines ("Simon le Bon... very modern of him to have taken his wife's name...") but also the delivery of Jane Horrocks ("no... oh no sorry YEAH *laughs* Yasmin le Bon's ILL!")

Eddy also perfectly illustrates the quite scary personality of a middle-aged PR woman the day before an event. And Patsy shows her why she was brilliant in the first series as Eddy's foil; never interested in helping, just there for the free drink and car hire. She finishes off the scene without acknowledging Eddy's problems and instead decides to explain why she might need a pregnancy test:

"he was just a windscreen washer I picked up at the traffic lights... buns so tight he was bouncing off the walls..."

Plus anything with a Betty Boo and Sinitta namecheck in one scene deserves a mention on moopy.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ZmKYTfT6wA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ZmKYTfT6wA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
funky said:
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QvDth8uwlQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QvDth8uwlQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Click to expand...

I'd not seen this one. AMAZING :D

Most sitcoms don't even have a cast a quarter as good as this one, do they? I was laughing merrily at Joanna Lumley and really THAT was ENOUGH, but then June Whitfield manages to steal the whole thing for me by simply standing in a kitchen with a handbag and beret combo.
 
The "no... oh sorry I meant YEAH" bit is FUCKING FABULOUS.
 
I've just noticed I may not have enough June Whitfield in this list, for which I should be HANGED

I need to fit in a few other shorter moments to compliment these scenes. There is just too much great stuff to choose from.
 
oh and THANK YOU for the Bo tag. Bo is AMAZING and is YET TO COME.

"kick your leg up Bo" makes me LAUGH HARD.
 
So, so many catchphrases from a single show... you almost forget they come from here, they get used so often. "TV eh...? Hi, I'm PATSY STONE" gets used all the time :D

Loved Bubble in Series 1... really not so much after that - too daft, too much.
 
Last edited:
25. "This is a story of a self raising flower..."
Small Opening, Season 4

It's fair to say that season 4 was sketchy in parts. While the concepts and the commentary on the easy-to-ridicule elements of British indulgence are always really sharp, the laughs come a lot thinner than seasons 1-3. This cannot however be said for the main scene of this episode, where Saffy puts on a play about her life and invites her mum to come and watch. It's just wall to wall hilarious.

It's very much a nostalgia piece, and you could argue that it's pure retread, but there's a sentimental aspect to it as well, as we watch Saffy try desperately to channel her emotions through her art, still in denial that her mother has in any way turned her neurotic (Saffy was a mess in season 4 and only regained her composure while pregnant in season 5).

Ironically, this isn't as good as it is because of Saffy OR Eddy. It's Patsy. She comes in and steamrolls through the jokes and owns the scene for herself. She's never been so rude, but it's just so hilarious that she is so OFFENDED by the idea of this play she can't help but heckle. I actually don't think she ever realises she's in the play, but she seems to like the guy playing her, because he has all the cruelest lines :D

And in a small but magnificent moment, Patsy enters the auditorium responding to an usher complaining about her smoking indoors in only the way she knows how

"no... no... oh DON'T BE SO BLOODY STUPID!"

:D

also this clip starts before the play and features another great Bo cameo.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-jx5qA5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-jx5qA5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
24. Not Dead Yet!
The End, Season 3

So, for those unawares, this was actually supposed to be how it all ended. Saffy finally snaps at her mum, who's been away finding herself but comes back thinking that it can all go back to normal. Saffy's not having it, she's had enough, and so we fast forward 25 years later to a closing scene of how it might have turned out...

Apparently this took hours to film because Jennifer and Joanna were laughing so much that the heavy make up they were wearing kept creasing and running. You can understand why. Also you can seem them genuinely in fits right at the end as they enter their bungalow next door, although Patsy brilliantly managed to stay in character by taking a few akward seconds to lift her leg onto the tiny step :D

Of course it's just generally a brilliant concept: 25 years on and nothing has really changed: Saffy is still running the house, now with 2 kids in tow, Gran looks exactly the same and Patsy and Eddy are running riot and growing old disgracefully. The saggy tits, the false teeth, the terrible facelifts... it's a fitting ending.

Except we got another two years.

oh and Patsy:

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?"

don't miss the end for the knickers moment. It's worth the wait.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SGoYMyOaxWE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SGoYMyOaxWE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
The bit before the flash-forward is possibly Saffy's best ever moment in the whole show.

"... and not just you, you as well! CESS PIT FROM HELL!"
 
funky said:
It's fair to say that season 4 was sketchy in parts. While the concepts and the commentary on the easy-to-ridicule elements of British indulgence are always really sharp, the laughs come a lot thinner than seasons 1-3.
Click to expand...

The problem I had with it was partly that the concept and the ideas in places just didn't work for me, or at least didn't seem to be communicated well. I remember watching the commentary on the DVD with JS and the producer whose name I forget, and thinking 'that was a really good idea', or 'that's quite clever', but if it doesn't actually translate to the audience, I guess it's a good idea poorly executed.

Or perhaps I'm more than a bit stupid.
 
No I agree Lolly. The pacing in season 4 was all off and a lot of stuff was clever but just fell flat as comedy.
 
yeah I kinda agree. The ideas were good. I think as well by that point, like most shows, the characters lose sight a bit of who they were and become a bit 2 dimensional. This was certainly the case with Patsy. I don't blame Joanna Lumley because her delivery was consistently amazing and I do quite like the more random-old-bird side of Patsy later on, but I much prefer her sharp, dry, laid back style of the earlier seasons. It contrasted with Eddy's chaos brilliantly.
 
Last edited:
funky said:
25. "This is a story of a self raising flower..."
Small Opening, Season 4

It's fair to say that season 4 was sketchy in parts. While the concepts and the commentary on the easy-to-ridicule elements of British indulgence are always really sharp, the laughs come a lot thinner than seasons 1-3. This cannot however be said for the main scene of this episode, where Saffy puts on a play about her life and invites her mum to come and watch. It's just wall to wall hilarious.

It's very much a nostalgia piece, and you could argue that it's pure retread, but there's a sentimental aspect to it as well, as we watch Saffy try desperately to channel her emotions through her art, still in denial that her mother has in any way turned her neurotic (Saffy was a mess in season 4 and only regained her composure while pregnant in season 5).

Ironically, this isn't as good as it is because of Saffy OR Eddy. It's Patsy. She comes in and steamrolls through the jokes and owns the scene for herself. She's never been so rude, but it's just so hilarious that she is so OFFENDED by the idea of this play she can't help but heckle. I actually don't think she ever realises she's in the play, but she seems to like the guy playing her, because he has all the cruelest lines :D

And in a small but magnificent moment, Patsy enters the auditorium responding to an usher complaining about her smoking indoors in only the way she knows how

"no... no... oh DON'T BE SO BLOODY STUPID!"

:D

also this clip starts before the play and features another great Bo cameo.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-jx5qA5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-jx5qA5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Click to expand...

I ADORE this scene! :D My favourite bit is where "Eddy" makes her first appearance and Patsy looks at the real Eddy and goes "Shit, Eddy..!" AMAZING :D
 
"This is a story of a self-raising flower..."
"OH PISS OFF!"
 
Last edited:
23. "Is it... A BEE?"
Small Opening, Season 4

Hardly one of the more famous moments of the entire run, but certainly one of the most randomly quoted on moopy moments :D

As if the play at the end of this episode wasn't enough, it opens delightfully with Patsy and Eddy back to their usual schtick: stoned and pissed and talking rubbish. It all gets a bit too much, but eventually the scene shifts to complete and utter farce when they both hear a buzzing sound...

It's a testament to Saunders that actually, this entire sequence is to simply introduce Eddy to Saffy's play by accident. She hears 'Serge' on the phone and calls the police. She could have covered the moment in a few seconds. But instead, we get this UTTERLY BONKERS scene of two old lushes completely incapable of determining the concept of a mobile phone (this was in the late 90s so more believable then).

Spurred on by their drug-addled state, the pair fall into paranoid hysteria as they follow the noise around the house. It's one of those there's-no-story-it's-just-funny moments and you just have to watch it to understand it

Although any opportunity to say...

"oooh.... it's a SMALL SHOE!"

:D

also if you watch for long enough you'll catch Patsy running around manically thinking they're being raided, popping every pill she can find, until eventually she keels over...

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JQnSC-kw1g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JQnSC-kw1g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top Bottom