Joanna Lumley nearly quit her iconic role in Absolutely Fabulous after a disastrous first meeting with co-star and show creator Jennifer Saunders

Joanna Lumley has revealed she nearly quit her now iconic role of Patsy Stone in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous after a disastrous first meeting with Jennifer Saunders.

The actress, 77, who played the boozy fashion guru between 1992 and 2016, said she tried to jump ship after being left convinced her co-star and show creator Jennifer, 65, didn’t think she was right for the part following their first read through.

Telling The Sun: ‘Either I did it so badly or [Jennifer] was so uncommunicative that I was certain she didn’t like me’.

‘I went home and told my agent “I love the script but you must get me out of this because she is too polite to say she doesn’t like me”‘.

She continued: ‘My agent said “Just do it, it’s a pilot, who knows it might not work”‘.

Joanna Lumley, 77, has revealed she nearly quit her now iconic role of Patsy Stone in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous after a disastrous first meeting with Jennifer Saunders. 

The actress, who played the boozy fashion guru between 1992 and 2016, said she tried to jump ship after being left convinced her co-star and show creator Jennifer, 65, didn’t think she was right for the part following their first read through   (pictured together in the series)

The series became an instant hit and went on to win numerous BAFTA and British Comedy Awards before hitting the big screen with it’s own movie in 2016.

In a recent Channel 5 documentary honouring Joanna’s long career she admitted filming Ab Fab was ‘hysterical’ and that one scene nearly sent the pair over the edge.

Talking about when an elderly Patsy loses her pants while accidentally snorting a bee, Joanna said:

‘When I die, I just want that to be played at my funeral.’

It comes after Michelle Keegan admitted she was a ‘huge fan’ of Joanna’s as she opened up about starring alongside her in Harlan Coben’s new Netflix thriller, Fool Me Once.

The actress, 36, who portrays distressed widow Maya Stern, gushed that the comedy legend star made her ‘feel very comfortable’ on set. 

She revealed that Joanna, who plays Maya’s murdered husband’s mother Judith Burkett, pushed her to be ‘more feisty’ in scenes.

Despite this Michelle said she still couldn’t bring herself to ‘swear in Joanna’s face’ during rehearsals. 

Joanna said: ‘Either I did [the read through] so badly or [Jennifer] was so uncommunicative that I was certain she didn’t like me’. 

The series became an instant hit and went on to win numerous BAFTA and British Comedy Awards before hitting the big screen with it’s own movie in 2016 (pictured together in 2016) 

She said: ‘They were so much fun. I mean it’s not every day that you tell Joanna Lumley to F-off! That was quite nerve racking. 

‘She made me feel very comfortable from the off. She’s such a legend. Me and my cousin grew up watching Ab Fab, so I was such a huge fan.

‘In our scenes our characters do go head-to-head. She is so good at playing that feisty role and it made me go a bit feistier. I had to match that energy. 

‘But in the rehearsals, I wouldn’t swear. I would just say, “The F word”. On a take I’d swear but in rehearsals I wouldn’t swear in her face. I couldn’t do.’

Earlier this month the highly anticipated thrilled dropped its first teaser clip and fans got a glimpse at Michelle as she transformed into distressed widow Maya.

It comes after Michelle Keegan admitted she was a ‘huge fan’ of Joanna ‘s as she opened up about starring alongside her in Harlan Coben’s new Netflix thriller, Fool Me Once  

Despite this Michelle said she still couldn’t bring herself to ‘swear in Joanna’s face’ during rehearsals.

In the clip, Maya tries to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe (Richard Armitage).

The trailer shows happy beginnings for the couple on their wedding day and family life before Maya’s world is torn apart. 

As the story develops Maya installs a nanny-cam to keep an eye on her young daughter and she is shocked to see a man she recognises in her house, her husband, who she thought was dead. 

Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce (Adeel Akhtar) leads the homicide investigation into Joe’s death while grappling with secrets of his own. 

All episodes of Fool Me Once are available on Netflix from 1st January 2024.

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