Julia Sawalha on Absolutely Fabulous and the possibility of a revival - from RHLSTP 496
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- Опубліковано 26 бер 2024
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I'm an American who loved June Whitfield! I thought of her as Britain's Betty White!❤
I’m blown away by her own interpretation of the character. I actually never saw it that way. I always saw her as a victim. Now I have to rewatch the series and look out for this little moments. ❤
Her "subtext" is a bunch of hooey because that's not how it was played and not how it was understood by the viewing audience. She can think whatever in her head all she wants, but that's not what Saffy was.
@@rah62 i tend to agree, but listen what she says, she even spoke to Jennifer about it, and it seems there’s more subtext than meets the eye
@@rah62 she know that role from inside, and you see how it is look outside, and that what she said true, because role of smart adult woman who can live separete from that bad mother(as her brother) but she enjoy to be victim, and look opposit to her mother, and she not "mom" to her mom, she make cruel jokes about her weight and etc. If look better on Suffy - she realy toxic.
I always saw her as a freeloader 😂😂
@@rah62 That is actually how I understood Saffy's character. She's not a victim. She chooses that life. But what do I know? I've actually been to therapy...
Julia looks Amazing ! It was and is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time
I agree! Funny from the first very scene 😆
Loved her as Lydia in Pride & Prejudice.
I was a little gutted it didn't get a mention because she was brilliant in that role!
It's really sweet to hear Julia Sawalha talking about Jennifer Saunders which such niceness and affection.
"I just want you to look nice on television", 😂.
I don't think anyone has anything bad to say about Jennifer Saunders. And I love the deep friendship she has with Dawn French ( my drama teacher at school, incidentally)
@@herbertlongfellow7702 Oh, you lucky son-of-a-gun! That has to be a hoot.
The Great Julia Sawalha!
Yes! How did I never notice the entire cast had ‘J’ names?? Jennifer, Joanna, Julie, Jane & June 😆
I loved her in Press Gang, my first 'grown up' young adult type show. For me, it was the whole aesthetic of Lynda Day, as well as the sparring with Spike. Her permed hair, her polka dot skirts with black tights, a tshirt and an oversized shirt was the ideal look for the early 90s, and one i copied.
My brother was at stage school with Dexter Fletcher who had a long term relationship with Ms. Sawalha.
@@susanford2388 Ah wow yes, I remember them dating, it was the talk of Smash Hits magazine ah those were the days
Press Gang still stands up today as a great comedy drama
It's amazing how a relatively throwaway gag from a sketch show became an incredibly beloved, complex and funny comedy series.
Especially as it was only funny for about an episode and a half.
@@scottishwildcat "Brilliant, a chance to make a snide remark in response to some positivity! Thank goodness, my day was so dull and bleak before, but now I can show how scathing I can be about something. Get in!"
@@scottishwildcat looking forward to your award winning sitcom in the near future..
@@scottishwildcat Odd comment, given the videos topic. I take it you didn't like the series then? I thought it was awesome. But perhaps that is because I have come across a few Edinas, Patsys and Saffys in real life over the past few decades.
Was it a sketch from another show like how the Simpsons started? I'm from Malaysia and only got the shows from video tapes my half Brits friend every time she comes back from UK in the 90s.
Listened to the whole podcast today. Absolutely fantastic. As someone in my 50s too, there's something very appealingly bitter sweet about this and the Sally Phillips podcast. And really brave of you all to do it on stage. It makes for great drama, and comedy :)
Amazing how many intelligent and beautiful female comedians Richard has been out with
Love AbFab, but have to say that I so appreciate Julia's character, Linda on Press Gang. Her character was really groundbreaking for a young person watching tv in the early 90s, seeing a young woman with agency because of her intellect. These female characters just weren't on tv at that time. THANK YOU!
Wow amazing - Julia is the moment & absolutely fabulous !!!
Stopped in my tracks listening to the full podcast during that section about crashing through boundaries and the two paths that come on the other side. It's my experience at the moment, and i hadn't heard it described so concisely, perfectly, and beautifully.
What an interesting take on Saffy... I'm going to have to re-watch it all, again, with open eyes now! Either way, one of the best shows from the UK!
The brilliance is how they feed off of each other.
Just listened to the podcast, what a great sport. When she laughed at the ‘slipping into Lynda’ Press Gang reference you knew the rest of the show was going to be good. I was 19 and in college when Press Gang first aired and loved it
I had a Huge crush on Saffi! “Sweetie, Darling, Saffi, Sweetie!” 😂
I heard that in Edwinas voice, with her shuffling towards Saffie with a big pout on her
Phillip Schofield jokes will Never get old! Keep ‘em coming!
Julia is fantastic. I remember watching abfab years ago on bbc2 and didn't think much of it. Then it was repeated on bbc1 I loved it. The characters and storylines where brilliant I couldn't wait for each series.
The one where Edwina has a nightmare that her lips are overinflated lol
@@paulinegallagher7821 LOL my fave episodes is when Eddie has no money and has to "downsize" the car, and when her Dad dies and she falls in his grave!!!
@@ILoveAngie69 OMG lol🤣
As Julia said, she doesn't do many (any) interviews, so it's fantastic to hear from her here! Still a really underrated figure in British TV IMO. I reckon some people (because they're dumb) think she genuinely is the Saffy character, and they can't get past it. For me, I'll always think of Press Gang! I would love to see Julia in Doctor Who. I don't remember her ever being in it, though I could be missing something. She would be absolutely ideal for that world IMO.
She was the Doctor's companion in The Curse of Fatal Death, which doesn't count, but at the same time absolutely, definitely counts.
@@zpxlng Oh I see!! 😀
I think Lydia Bennett whenever I see her.
@@user-zx9jq4pv1w You beat me to it. Its weird to see Saffy and realize its the same person playing opposites. That 18th century little trollop!
I totally agree with what Richard said towards the end. Ab Fab, while politically incorrect, continues to grow a massive cult following with younger viewers - especially from the LGBTQ+ community. This is because of Jennifer’s intelligent approach to writing; the “politically incorrect” jokes were never directed to offended anyone or “punch down” - but rather the joke was always used to highlight Edina and Patsy’s ignorance and hilarious incompetence.
Jennifer has always been ahead of her time, and Ab Fab would certainly thrive in today’s environment.
David Suchet said to find a character he had to find their walk and stance first, so he focussed on their shoes. In the books, Poirot was notorious for wearing his shoes a size too small, which gave him that mincing walk. Not odd then that "clothes made the woman" in Saffy's case.
Saw this live - fantastic episode - ❤Julia
I was wondering when this one was coming out. Thanks Richard.
thank you for the video
What an interesting interview!!! Love this!! I’ve never heard this before. Such a treat
What a delight . Thankyou
So true! AB FAB is so legendary.. to me personally lol.
1) Okay, how is she still so gorgeous?
2) She's right about Saffy. She participated in the hideousness as much as the rest of them.
I've never seen her in anything and not thought she aced it. She's absolutely amazing.
Saffy was in some ways a thankless part, always having to be the 'straight guy' pouring the cold water of reality on everything in Ab Fab, but it wouldn't have worked without her and Julia's commitment to the role.
But then I'm a 43yo gay man, I have little choice but to love Ab Fab and its stars.
I agree but also, when Saffy did get to fight back, emotionally explode and so on, it produced some of the funniest moments.
At the risk of sounding like a creep, I still crush so hard on Julia. When I first saw Press Gang aged 11 I thought she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I still hold traces of jealous resentment against Dexter Fletcher. I wanted so much to be him even before I knew they were an item in real life. And I can do a much better American accent than he can.
Remember the episode with Suggs? 😃
This was a great episode. The chemistry is still there (anyone else get the vibe that she still really quite likes him?). The line about "I found I slipped into Linda really easy... Me too" had me creased up. Rich is the most underrated interviewer on the planet imo.
This was a good podcast I liked this one, it was good to hear from Julia.
So all the leading ladies in Ab Fab have first names starting with J. Jennifer Saunders, Julia Sawalha, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks. What are the chances?
All Richard’s lovely J ladies
My alternate name for AbFab was The J-Team!😊
I clicked on this SO fast.
Having listened to the full pod cast I will never now not think of Richard as anything but Winnie The Phoo
It finally dawned on me years ago that AbFab is a HILARIOUS show about child abuse and neglect.
Kind of a stunning realization.
Well now I have to rewatch the whole series keeping that subtext in mind
When she imitates Jennifer Saunders' mannerisms it's eerily accurate 👀
Loved Press Gang, I'm currently rewatching it actually. Never seen one episode of AdFab though!
That's an achievement
You should watch ab fab easily top10 all time British sitcoms imo
@@MrDukey85 I've seen clips, but watching 2 women get drunk all the time (yes I know they are acting) for comedy isn't for me.
How great does that make Jennifer Saunders that she just wanted her to look nice on television.
Julia Sawalha is heading relentlessly towards 'National Treasure' status !!
I remember watching Ab Fab back in the day loving the camp, the zingers, the outrageous behaviour. Watching it now, I see three generations of women who don't know how to communicate and who haven't learnt from their mistakes.
I always rooted for Saffy
LLL
I’m American. I loved this series years ago! I saw Saffy as the adult the in the room. This is a different take for me. May have to rewatch the show.
AbFab always walked a very delicate line. I think there’s a huge difference between being “politically incorrect” for the sake of being politically incorrect and satire. As long as you keep the audience laughing with you (which Jennifer does a very good job of) it will avoid being cancelled.
True. I think the essence of it is whether the comedy is punching at the characters themselves, which is generally acceptable, or at other people, which generally is not. Ab Fab was a brilliant character study that very much kept to the first camp.
Not to be shallow, but Julia has turned into a stunning woman.
I loved Julie in Jonathan Creek , she played a great sidekick. She is also a naturally beautiful woman.
I forgot she was even on that show! Its mad that Alan Davis used to be an actor, I dont see him as one at all now
I heard Julia has a shrine to Richard in her house
I heard her ideal man has the head of Richard Herring, and the body of Richard Herring. But isn't Richard Herring.
She wants the moon on a stick.
@@davidwalker1652 would you rather date a man who has the head and body of Richard Herring, but isn’t Richard Herring, or date Richard Herring?
Would you rather date Richard herring or a man who's bell-end was Richard herrings head, and his head was Richard herrings bell-end?
I would love to see more Ab Fab being done today. This world needs more laughs! Please, Jennifer? Please? I'm still watching what I can here in the US. Ab Fab got me through Covid lockdown with tons of laughter. So, pl-pl-please????
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Loved her since Press Gang
Who doesn't love Julia?
Her sister Nadia S - has fallen out with her for over 20 years!
@@sharoncox4776 We know why, jealousy!
@@Da1Dez Indeed. And denigrated Julia on Loose Women a few years back. She could not hold a candle to Julia. Lets hope her other sister speaks to her .
She was super hot in Jonathan Creek ❤
@@sharoncox4776 That loose woman broad? she comes across as very up her own arse, that one.
As long as the cast is alive....the show will pop back on air for a bit.....like it always does every five or 7 years....
Patsy and Edi a in there 70's could be a hoot!!! More Ab Fab please.
Great interview above too....what a talent.
I always thought AbFab was uncensored.....and so to claim woke or cancel culture.....well it won't be from liberals.....because they never had a problem with the show or its content. The cancel you will get will be from the right and conservatives....so remember that Miss Sweeney before you act all hoity toity.
I loved that Edina tried so hard to actually be politically correct - but just for ‘show’. But the way she flipped when Saffy had her inter-racial baby was hilarious!
I really appreciate Julia’s view on saffy because it is true that she could have left any moment but doesn’t. She’s always there and it’s probably because she lives off of that toxic environment. Also it’s so weird to hear Julia not sound like saffy.
This! 👉🏽If someone sees/reads this, PLEASE back me up, tell me I'm crazy or just plain wrong; I could swear that after June Whitfield - 'Gran' - passed, Jennifer Saunders did an interview where she said there WOULD be another AbFab series where 'Gran's passing would be addressed/explained. I've searched high & low for it recently and can't find anything, but I'm certain I saw it somewhere.
Now that you think of it-Saffy could have left at any moment. 🤯
Julia as Janet in Time Gentlemen Please is an absolute delight.
Late last year I made a new character on the MMO I subscribe to. Named the character 'King Barsteward' and the character's personal mount 'Davo.'
Very interesting to hear Julia talk about Saffy. However this interview was tinged with sadness when she talked about her 'disastrous' relationships. Thought Richard was a bit sharp there.
I always remember Saffie came back fro Morocco smelling of honey and yogourt.
Yeah that was my first thought when she mentioned she got a lot out of it
Hi, How do I watch the full videos. When I click on the Acast link, the levels of membership only mention listening to them. Thank you.
You get emailed a link with a password to the website where those are. Takes a few days from joining up to get it
❤️👏🏼❤️👏🏼❤️👏🏼❤️👏🏼❤️
My favourite couple on Gogglebox.
Ab-fab is one thing but who's here because of Press Gang?
Me, me, me, me!
Also me
And me!
Do you both talk about both working on Time Gentlemen Please on this episode?
They do
Richard, come back to UA-cam!
❤
Anything about the underrated 'time gentlemen please" in the interview? I just thought of ozzy barmaids and bean faced Postman somehow.
I remember her in Press Gang back in the day, always thought she was lovely.
Shame about what happened to her on "Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget".
She talks about that in the podcast.
@@Herring1967 I just finished listening to the podcast. Ok...gloves off: I, too, am pissed that happened to Julia. I listened the side-by-side voice comparison - no difference!
Although I'm a male and not in showbizz - I'm 68 and have experienced age discrimination. And it sucks. I'm saddened that happened to Julia but I'm glad she carries on.
By the way - I'm American AND a Whovian. I remember her in the Red Nose Day Doctor Who spoof "The Curse of Fatal Death". Very good. And her AbFab castmate...the wonderful Joanna Lumley...was the first (though non-canonical) female Doctor!
@@Herring1967 Two more things:
- Amy Schumer - along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey and Patricia Arquette - did a satirical take on aging female actors called "Last Fuckable Day". Here's the clip:
ua-cam.com/video/XPpsI8mWKmg/v-deo.htmlsi=JTFhkevP9PglgRQz
@@guyjackson132 Indeed. I could understand them not wanting Mel Gibson to return but when most, if not all, of the remaining cast return, it really is a stab at Julia herself to not bring her back. It's not like she wasn't available. She is totally right to be pissed off about it. Thankfully, at least IMO, it wasn't a great sequel so she didn't miss much.
I wonder if she uses Timotei.
She is so, so talented and smart -- I LOVE Thandiwe Newton but imma need an explanation for why she was replaced for Chicken Run 2 because Julia's VO was so iconic!
Oof she had me until the "cancel culture" lol but I can understand why some actors feel that way
What's interesting with Ab Fab and quite telling about society is that if the characters were male, it would be an absolute tragedy: a twice-divorced, alcoholic and abusive dad making life hell for his socially inept teenage son, helped by his cruel, slutty, junkie of a best friend. But because it's about female friendships, because it's so beautifully written and so out of line with what women "should be", it's outrageously funny.
Ever seen Steptoe and Son?
@@dooniskea The Simpsons is even MORE dysfunctional in that they are still married. THey even did an episode where Homer 'got better' (by getting the crayon out of his brain no less) and Marge starts complaining because 'things are too boring".
No really sure I agree with that, I think with both genders it's the script and the acting that makes it comedy or tradegy. I'm sure we've seen male characters like that before. Peter Griffin from Family Guy could definitely fill the role of abusive alcohlic dad who has a socially indept teenage son though of course he bullies his daugher, Meg.
Also when you think of the junkie friend you can't help but imeddiately think of Super Hans from Peep Show.
I agree it was probably ahead of it's time though. Definitely the swapping of the parent/child role seemed like a new dynamic at the time.
I always said AbFab was "Beavis and Butthead" for women.
@@dooniskea Was JUST going to say, although its the son who is abusive
There were more than a few one-trick jokes that showed that Saffy was just as if not more perverse & self-serving than either Eddie or Patsy. Honey, yoghurt & almonds, eh?
I have a feeling Julia was referring to her sister when she talked about families being dysfunctional.
Does anyone else see The uncanny resemblance to her fictional mother in the show? Maybe just one little tiny pilot of her having become her mother???
✅
Patsy! “I said, ‘BRING ME THE KNITTING NEEDLES!!!’” 😂
The pure snd unadulterated satire of that show was an extreme and Absolutely Fabulous.
Saffy, Pats, Eddie, grand mum, the ex hubby. The magazine, the blonde office secretary, all if it.
I think Saffy wanted to be able to help her mother, and keep an eye on her friends. And the grandmother lived there as well, so she had an ally.
Gran visited alot but didn't live there.
It’s still pisses me off that aardman didn’t get her to voice ginger, what an insult.
i like julia best as dorcas lane
They should do a remake where Saffi plays a mom with a wild teenage daughter who has a
crazy friend and they behave just like Edina and Patsy.
Bring back Press Gang!
I wonder if her two sisters feel guilty for leaving her out? It would make me feel really lonely if I was one of three sisters and they kicked me out of their lives. It must hurt her
We don’t know that she is estranged from Dina. I know she is estranged from Nadia…..I think it is very very sad for their parents. Life is way too short.. ❤️
Dina’s sided with Nadia. They do everything together and leave Julia out. Making memories without her@@sandimoo
i was particularly amused by her starting to moan about culture war "I AM BEING SILENCED!" shit, and rich doing his best to smooth that over and provide a bit of rationalism
Well shit. Now I want tights/socks like that!
I always wondered how Saffy could have a friend like Emma Burton who comes across as one of the cool girls.
She was the head girl whilst Emma was a few years younger
I disagree with Richard Herring that Little Britain wouldn't fly anymore - although I accept this is the prevailing view. I know Matt Lucas has become increasingly vocal with regret about some of the sketches, but I think that is why those sketches were so, so important, and indeed funny. The right to cause offence is almost a defining measure of whether you live in a free society or not, but the offence was rarely directed at any individuals in real life, instead, via grotesque characiatures, Little Britain was able to tackle racism, bigotry, homophobia, ageism, sexism, fatism and many other isms by demonstrating the preposterous nature of many of societies repressed attitudes. Very clever & daring. Shame we don't seem to be as daring any more. Are we too frightened of being cancelled by a bunch of narrow-minded idiots? Idiots who do not understand the benefit of confronting 'offence' and thereby strengthening tolerance and celebrating diversity in all its forms. Still - I suspect my opinion is not popular!
I do think its something worth discussing rather than simply dismissing, there is room for nuance. Like the character of the elderly woman who expressed her bigotry purely by vomiting, it's not an endorsement of her views, it's almost a satirical comment on how the well to do little old ladies who are so polite to anyone like them will out of nowhere talk 'pure bile' about anyone they deem lesser.
But I suppose there is a problem with people unable to separate the subtext from the literal portrayal of what they are seeing. It's interesting for example that Alf Garnett from Till Death Do Us Part was written to be the butt of the joke but ended up becoming a kind of hero to working class bigots. Then they remade it in the US, and the same thing happened, Archie Bunker became the archetype of someone to aspire to, not someone to be horrified by.
The question is should that stop things like Till Death Do Us Part from being made? Should we avoid talking about subjects just because the intentions of the artist don't always translate well. There were people who understood the subtext and got the message, but there were also stories of kids in school repeating what Alf Garnett said to their fellow students. There are grown men and women today who were bullied incessantly in school because some children didn't understand that Alf was not someone you were meant to emulate.
@@lloroshastar6347 In the end - I guess I am anti-censorship and pro a civilised debate where society tries to reach a higher point of view via a joint open-minded dialectic process - rather than the current polarised state of affairs where one is expected to choose a side. I am fully aware I am on a hiding to nothing! I had a problem with Till Death I Do Part when it originally broadcast, and the same with 'Love Thy Neighbour' - but I didn't want to ban either, I wanted a mature discussion, and educative process - with the result being nobody would choose to watch them; and to be fair to Till Death I Do Part, the intention was never to glorify racism - it's just that it turned out to be far too subtle for the target audience!
@@schubertuk Unfortunately it seems a lot of things are 'far too subtle' nowadays. Starship Troopers (the film) is seen as an endorsement of US foreign policy instead of a very obvious satire of it (also satirising other things). People are even missing the point of the recent Dune movie. There are people who think Star Trek wasn't 'left-wing', despite the fact I struggle to think of anything more left-wing on American TV.
Free speech is a nice sentiment, but in practice it seems life isn't that simple. My Uncle believes in every single conspiracy theory going, the evidence to counteract it is all there, but he refuses to acknowledge it and much prefers the conspiracies because they pander to his deeply held beliefs that the world is out to get him. The human mind we are told is incredibly complex, but we are surrounded by simple minded people who are easily led.
Sadly I don't think free speech as this idea being upheld of the smart ideas all rising to the top and the stupid ones disappearing in the 'marketplace of ideas' just isn't working in practice. It's nice in theory, but in practice what appears to happen is the same people who suppressed the freedoms we fought for in the first place are getting all their power back, and the majority are losing it.
There is plenty of comedy that I enjoy that is considered controversial, and perhaps I myself have missed the point for a lot of it. I was a little disappointed to find out that the writer of Men Behaving Badly didn't share my views by and large, but looking back on the show even though I think it's still incredibly funny, I don't know why I was ever surprised by that. On balance I think censorship tends to be worse overall, but I do think there are exceptions, and I do understand why some terms and expletives aren't heard on TV anymore.
And isn’t that part of the brilliance of Saffi’s play? She wanted it to be a serious tale of woe, and instead, the play audience laughed raucously at the absurdity of all of them!
So criminal that Aardman Animations sacked her from Chicken Run #2 “because she sounded too old”. So we refused to watch it.
It seems like a fixable problem. With all the technology we have today couldn't they have fixed the pitch to make her sound younger? (if that's actually the problem)
Still would
Winne the Poo 😅😅😅 that's gona stick!!
Funny enough... The copyright expired on the original "Winnie-The-Pooh" book back in 2022 so a filmmaker made a "slasher" movie with the characters of Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet called "Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey". So Pooh has been transformed into an immortal, near unstoppable psychopath! I believe the movie cost ~$20k to make and raked in $2.3 million! And the sequel will be out soon...
ua-cam.com/video/W3E74j_xFtg/v-deo.htmlsi=7c0y7SLrJ9UFcE3B
She's only ten years younger than Jennifer Saunders.
I didn't think these 2 even spoke with each other, after all he's give her a few digs over the years..
They dated in the 90s so I think he plays up the perceived animosity of exes for laughs but doesn't have any negative feelings towards her. Also, thirty years is a long time to hold negative feelings for someone you were once close to
@@daved2352 Exactly, it's no different to when comedians tell stories about their other halves or parents. It's played up for comic effect but isn't the reality behind the scenes.
Not sure what digs you mean?
Well she seems a nicer person then her sister
True about sapphie. I mena Juia made her and came to know her fthe most its true. I think also though that Eddie and Parsy would be dead or in prison by then
love julia..Richard really needs a haircut.. x
She should go back to the dreadlocks from Faith in the Future!
I love Saffy but i can never truly forgive her for breaking Hornblower's heart.