It's Absolutely Fabulous to see you again, darling!

Stars reunite to reveal Patsy and Edina's secrets from classic sitcom

- Giles Sheldrick

DAME Joanna Lumley has admitted she tried to wriggle out of Absolutely Fabulous.

The actress was unsure about playing a drug-addled alcoholic, and wanted to politely decline.

Dame Joanna, now 78, eventually agreed to play Patsy Stone - and the sitcom went on to be a TV smash.

As cast stars reunited for a oneoff show, she recalled: "I rang my agent and I said 'Look, I don't think Jennifer [Saunders] wants me, but she's too polite to say anything. Do you think you can get me out of this?' And my agent said 'No, it's a pilot, just do it. It might not take off.' I nearly wasn't Patsy!" The sitcom launched in November 1992, written by and starring Jennifer.

Now a retrospective will reveal secrets from the show and take viewers on a trip down memory lane.

Ab Fab centres on heavy-drinking publicity mogul Edina Monsoon (Jennifer), who spends her time failing to lose weight and chasing bizarre fads in a desperate bid to stay young.