‘I loved every second of telling my story’: Joanna Lumley’s career will be celebrated in new one-off documentary for Channel 5
Joanna Lumley four-decade long career will be celebrated in a one-off documentary for Channel 5 called Joanna Lumley: My Best Bits – In My Own Words.
The programme offers a first-person retrospective of some of the most memorable screen roles Joanna has enjoyed during her long and successful career from The Avengers and Sapphire & Steel to Absolutely Fabulous.
Joanna, 76, candidly reflects on the roles she’s loved and shares clips of some of her favourite moments during the show.
The film also includes exclusive interviews with Joanna’s peers and friends including Coronation Street‘s William Roache, her Sapphire & Steel co-star David McCallum and Ruby Wax.
It also contains conversations with Endeavour actor Roger Allam, who she works with on BBC Radio 4 series Conversations from a Long Marriage. #
Icon: Joanna Lumley four-decade long career will be celebrated in a one-off documentary for Channel 5 called Joanna Lumley: My Best Bits – In My Own Words
Career: The programme offers a first-person retrospective of some of the most memorable screen roles Joanna has enjoyed during her long and highly successful career
The documentary also features special interviews with Joanna’s Absolutely Fabulous co-stars Helen Lederer and Jane Horrocks.
Each person offers their own insights on working with Joanna on some of her most-celebrated projects.
Dame Joanna Lumley said: ‘To see most of one’s professional life flashing before one’s eyes is a thrill, especially when punctuated by kind comments from beloved friends.
‘The programme was a joy to make, and a very rare privilege for me to revisit my work, much of which I hadn’t seen for decades. I loved every second of telling my story In My Own Words.’
Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Channel 5 said: ‘Dame Joanna is much-loved by our audience and it has been an absolute delight to work with her to create this wonderful celebration of her career for Channel 5 viewers.’
The documentary comes after Joanna recently said those in favour of cancel culture ‘wouldn’t dare’ go after her beloved Absolutely Fabulous character Patsy Stone.
The actress is well known for her role as chain-smoking booze hound Patsy in the sitcom where she starred alongside show creator Jennifer Saunders.
Speaking on Talk TV’s Friday Night with Nadine, Joanna admitted she doesn’t think the series would be made today due to Patsy and Edina’s ‘ghastly’ behaviour.
Role: The documentary also features special interviews with Joanna’s Absolutely Fabulous co-stars Helen Lederer and Jane Horrocks (Joanna pictured in Absolutely Fabulous)
Asked if she thought Patsy would be cancelled today, the star simply replied: ‘They wouldn’t dare!’
Elaborating on how times have changed since the show aired, she said: ‘Because this started in 1991, and the world’s changed so much since then.
‘I mean, you wouldn’t be able to smoke, you wouldn’t be able to drink, you wouldn’t be able to snort coke, even though it was…
‘I mean it was high satire on revolting people and it was just terribly funny and the wicked things Edina could say about people and the ghastly behaviour of Patsy – wouldn’t be allowed to do it now.’
Joanna Lumley: My Best Bits – In My Own Words will air on Sunday April 16 at 9pm on Channel 5.
