June Whitfield Movies

When Edina (Jennifer Saunders) takes up with her first boyfriend in ages, Patsy (Joanna Lumley) finds her role in her best friend's life suddenly reduced even though she's recently moved into the Monsoon household. Even worse, she actually has to show up at work for once -- to attend a meeting with fast-talking editor Magda (Kathy Burke); dim, ornamental staffers Catriona (Helen Lederer) and Fleur (Harriet Thorpe); and the ridiculously erudite gourmand Hamish (Adrian Edmondson). Suckered into giving a pair of fashion nobodies a makeover on a chat show hosted by unassuming everywoman Kathy (Dawn French), Pats makes a Faustian pact with Saffron (Julia Sawalha): If Saf and Gran (June Whitfield) will become her sartorial guinea pigs, she'll move back into her own flat and she won't try to destroy Eddy's new romance. Originally broadcast on BBC 1 on December 10, 1992, Absolutely Fabulous: Magazine marked series one, episode five of this popular Brit-com. French, who co-created the original sketch on which "AbFab" was based, appears as cheerful TV host Kathy. Acclaimed comedic and character actress Burke makes first of several appearances as the no-nonsense Magda. In a flashback sequence, Eleanor Bron also appears as Patsy's mother; Bron would appear again in Absolutely Fabulous: Birth. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

In this satirical British sitcom, which became a cult hit on American cable, a grotesquely self-centered fashion victim chain-smokes, swills champagne, abuses drugs, munches caviar, terrorizes her daughter, and tries in vain to mingle with the beautiful people -- all in the company of her sleek, slutty, boozed-up best friend. Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) (aka Pats and Eddy) are '60s survivors and fashion-world wannabes; Pats works for magazines, while Eddy owns a PR firm whose biggest client is '60s has-been Lulu, of "To Sir With Love" fame. These women live in a cloud of self-delusion about the supposed glamour of their London lifestyle, forever attempting to claw their way past the velvet rope. Pats inhabits the attic of a liquor-store franchise, while Eddy lives in a well-to-do flat thanks to the double alimony from her two ex-husbands, a gay antiques dealer and a recovering alcoholic. When she's not being horrible to her dowdy, unflappable teenaged daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha), and her oblivious, tongue-in-cheek mother (June Whitfield), Eddy stages fashion shows, jets off to photo shoots, pays charlatans to put her in touch with her inner child, and tries every weight-loss cure known to man -- except curbing her decadent lifestyle. Thanks to its shrill satire, over-the-top costumes, outrageous excess, and all-around camp appeal, Absolutely Fabulous became a pop-culture phenomenon that spawned two Sesame Street characters, a slew of slang expressions ("Sweetie darling, I'm chanting as we speak"), and even a Pet Shop Boys charity single. The actual theme song, sung by Julie Driscoll and Adrian Edmondson, is a cover of "This Wheel's on Fire," a '60s obscurity written by Bob Dylan and the Band's Rick Danko.

"AbFab," as it's known, began its life as a sketch called "Modern Mother and Daughter" on the BBC comedy show French & Saunders. Although frequent Saunders collaborator Dawn French played the daughter part in the original sketch, she bowed out in favor of half-Jordanian, half-British actress Sawalha, a Press Gang vet who was closer to the character's age. Patsy -- played like a coked-up Dynasty caricature by former Bond girl and New Avengers star Lumley -- wasn't a part of the original sketch but quickly became a favorite of drag queens everywhere. In addition to cameos from celebrities such as Helena Bonham Carter and Naomi Campbell, AbFab includes frequent appearances by Little Voice star Jane Horrocks (as Eddy's airhead assistant, Bubble) and Nil by Mouth star Kathy Burke (as straight-talking magazine editor Magda). Although one BBC development executive's reaction to the pilot was, "I don't think women being drunk is funny," a beeb secretary handed out tapes in secret to her friends, and soon the buzz about the show became deafening. The first series premiered on BBC1 on November 12, 1992, but didn't make its American bow until July 1994, when Comedy Central began airing perpetual reruns of the show. Three six-episode series were broadcast in the U.K. in 1992, 1994, and 1995, followed by a two-part TV movie, Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout, in November 1996. In 2000, as Saunders was working on a new program called Mirrorball that reunited much of the AbFab cast, she decided to switch gears and revisit her best-known characters in a fourth AbFab series, which began airing on August 31, 2001. Co-funded by Comedy Central, the new series began its U.S. run a few months later, on November 12, 2001. Although Roseanne purchased the rights to develop an American version of the show in 1994, the first international adaptation of the program to see the light of day was the 2001 French film Absolument Fabuleux. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

In this last gasp of the "Carry On" series, minus most of the "Carry On" players, Jim Dale plays Spanish map-maker Christopher Columbus, who has a plan to navigate a new route to India, bypassing the Sultan of Turkey (Rik Mayall) and his sky-high tributes. He convinces King Ferdinand of Spain (Leslie Phillips) and Queen Isabella (June Whitfield) to finance his trip, and he sets off for points east with a cabin boy in tow. But what Columbus doesn't realize is that his cabin boy is, in fact, a cabin girl. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Often cited as the archetypal "Britcom," the BBC comedy series Terry and June starred Terry Scott and June Whitfield in the title roles. Having reached middle age, Terry and June Medford moved from the big city to the pastoral community of Purley in Surrey. Despite June's efforts to enjoy the tranquility of country life, Terry just plain couldn't avoid getting into trouble, especially with his taciturn neighbors and his boss, Sir Dennis Hodge (Reginald Marsh), who always managed to show up at the most inopportune and embarrassing moments. Among the supporting characters was Terry's coworker Malcolm, played over the years by three different actors, and Malcolm's missus, Beattie (Rosemary Frankau). Terry and June was so popular that the leading actors often appeared, in character, on other BBC programs, such as Jim'll Fix It and Swap Shop. Most British viewers quickly recognized the series was essentially a continuation of the earlier sitcom Happy Ever After, with basically the same characters bearing different names (reportedly this was the result of an uncompleted contract between the network and the producers). Sixty-five half-hour episodes of Terry and June (plus a handful of seasonal specials) were telecast over an eight-year period, beginning October 24, 1979 and ending August 31, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This film brings more ribald nonsense from the British "Carry On" gang. This time the setting is the Spanish resort town of Elsbels. A group of stereotypical British tourists - led by courier Stuart Farquhar (Kenneth Williams) show up for a four-day weekend at a "luxury hotel." There are only two setbacks: the hotel doesn't seem to be finished yet...and it's raining through the roof. Oh, yes...all the staff members look suspiciously like the same person. Stalwart "Carry On" troupers Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Hattie Jacques are in attendance, while the toothsome Barbara Windsor shows up as "Miss Sadie Tompkins". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "Carry On" gang returns with Sidney Fiddler (Sid James) conning the local council into running a beauty pageant to promote their community. He's thrilled with the prospect of entertaining all the lovely young contestants, but his girlfriend has a different plan in mind. Soon, a women's liberation group invades the premises and takes over -- promptly ruining everything. ~ Rovi

A collection of English humor in the form of sketch film are provided on this film which was assisted by comedians Feldman and Chapman. ~ Rovi

In this comedy, a British bus conductor is elated to learn that he has won the lottery's grand prize. Then he finds out that the prize is a visit from two Russian social workers. The conductor's wife cleverly turns the visitation into a drinking party and the Russians are very happy. They have so much fun that they tell all their Russian friends to stop in to the conductor's house for a rousing good time. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi