FORMULA FOR LIFE

She started modelling in the Sixties and acting in the Seventies, but Joanna Lumley's career is still roaring ahead. Here, she shares her thoughts on fashion, drama, literature – and death

- ROSALIND POWELL

Whether it's fashion, film or sheer fun, the world just can't get enough of Dame Joanna Lumley.

And it's little surprise that the beloved British actress, who has made charm her trademark, is more in demand than ever. She's not just one of the nation's favourite TV personalities. The breadth and range of Joanna's talents, coupled with her irrepressible optimism, mean that everything she touches turns to gold.

This summer Joanna, who turns 80 next year, appeared with Catherine Zeta-Jones in one of Netflix's biggest series, Wednesday. Next year she will reprise her role as Wednesday Addams's grandmother, Hester Frump.

“Series three is going to knock the whole thing out of the park,” she tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview. “It’s going to be huge.”

Joanna - who stole our hearts as the Bollinger-swigging Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous in 1992 - also has another major hit on the go: the Motherland spin-off Amandaland, which she loved from the off. “I can remember laughing until tears ran down my face in the read-through, which is quite rare, just because it was such beautiful writing.”

Joanna plays Felicity, the acerbic mother of Lucy Punch’s Amanda, and will return for the second series in 2026. But fans are also on tenterhooks for the Christmas special, in which she will be reunited on screen with her AbFab costar Jennifer Saunders for the first time in almost a decade.

She’s equally celebrated for her travel documentaries. Next on the agenda is Argentina. Joanna says she will happily watch some tango - but won't be taking part. “We'll also be filming gauchos herding the cattle and I won't be doing that either,” she says firmly.