Introductory paragraph

Absolutely Fabulous is a comedy produced by the BBC. There are 18 episodes of half an hour each and a longer film (90 min) called "The Last Shout". The first six episodes are from 1992, the others from 1994 and 1995. Absolutely Fabulous, or AbFab as it is also called, is created by Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French from a skit performed on "The Comic Strip". All episodes and the film are written by Jennifer Saunders, who also plays Edina, the centre figure of the series. This series has won two International Emmy Awards in the Popular Arts category. In this Short Paper I will try to describe and analyse the language used in "AbFab".

About the series' characters

Absolutely Fabulous centres around Edina Monsoon, a desperately trendy divorced mother in her late 30’s. She runs her own sort of fashion-PR company, and is very obsessed with names: "Chanel, Dior, Lagerfeld, Gaultier, darling, names, names, names!!!" And when wearing an all too small and tight dress:"LaCroix, sweetie ... It’s all right, isn’t it? Bit tight, maybe, but...it’s all right. You know, people will think ‘Wow, it’s a La Croix’, okay? "

Eddy’s best friend, Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), is also in the fashion business. She "works" for a British Fashion magazine as a roving editor. She is a real party girl and tries to keep herself young-looking whatever it may cost. Both girls smoke, drink and drug like there were no tomorrow. They have known each other as long as they can remember. Having grown up together in the hedonistic excesses of the 70’s, Pats and Eddy have always been as self-centred, superficial and wannabe-trendy as only possible.

A problem for the girls is Edina’s straight-laced daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha), whose sense of morals is much stronger than her mothers. Especially Patsy quarrels often with Saffy; she has in fact resented Saffron from the moment Edina got pregnant, and doesn't get short of nasty things to refer to her by (e.g. "a trail of cat sick", "a sow-faced ditch rat" or "a stale old piece of toast"). Saffy doesn't want to party, she is more interested in having serious conversations on important matters and getting on with her studies in college and later in university. She dresses plain and simple, more comfortable than trendy. Or like Patsy would put it: "The only label she wears is drip-dry." (Originally said when talking about Princess Anne’s clothing style.) Saffron sometimes gets help from Edina’s conservative mother (June Whitfield), who doesn’t worry that much what her daughter has become. She lik es to take magazine quizzes and drops in always, when it's most inconvenient for Eddy. Mother is quite illiterate in "foreign words". When she speaks, you may drink chappaccino instead of cappuccino and arrivederci is suddenly arriva derki.

Then there is Bubble (Jane Horrocks), Edina’s air-headed assistant at the firm. She actually does very little, and her position is always unsure. Edina herself says in an episode that she keeps the cheery, but totally inefficient assistant around only to make herself look and feel better.

It’s important to notice that in this series the usual mother/daughter roles are reversed. Edina is the wild and irresponsible parent, Saffy the sensible and worrying, hard-working daughter. This change in the characteristics results in some really interesting and funny scenes, in which words and phrases typical of both parts, parents and children, are used in a rather unexpected order.

In "Fashion", for example, Edina wakes up with a terrible hangover. She comes downstairs to the kitchen, where Saffy is already having her breakfast. Trying to give the impression of a vital, totally healthy and piggy person, Edina jumps and chants, but it's obvious she’s not feeling very well.

Edina (Drinking a lot of water direct from the bottle without taking breath.) Health, health, health, darling.

Saffy (Sarcastically.) Feeling great, so I expect this morning, are you?

Edina (Not very convincingly.) It’s fabulous, darling.

(Pointing to the bottles on the table.) Wonder how Patsy can put away all that.

...

Edina (Not standing Saffy watching her.) I had just one bloody drink, sweetie. Are you accusing me of something?

Saffy Have you looked in the mirror this morning? Your eyebags are rouged.

...

Saffy (Edina is leaving with Patsy, Saffy follows her to the door.) Don’t be late. (To herself.) Or drunk.

If Edina wants something from Saffron, she changes her acting totally and the wild and irresponsible mother suddenly comes crawling and praying to her daughter.

The language of Pats and Ed

The two most used words by Edina and Patsy are probably "sweetie" and "darling". Those words are put, either together or alone, in almost every sentence. Example: in "Poor" Eddy has to buy a smaller car, that to Saffy’s astonishment turns out to be an expensive Alfa Romeo Spider.

Edina Smallest one I could find, darling. It’s tiny, look. There’s barely room for the basket in here, darling. No room for you, I’m afraid. I told you so, unless Patsy wants you on her knees. (To Patsy) Do you, darling? No? (To Saffron) She doesn’t want you, darling. Safety first. Bye, sweetie.

In "Birth" Edina and Saffy talk about "Sweetie darling."

Edina Don’t be so impressed with her anyway, sweetie, darling. Don’t be so impressed, sweetie, darling, sweetie, darling, sweetie, darling, sweetie, darling, sweetie, darling, sweetie, darling. You don’t mind me calling you that, do you? Sweetie, eh, darling? I don’t know how it started, but it's hard to break a habit like that after so many years.

Saffron It started because you couldn’t remember my name for the first three years.

Edina Don’t be ridiculous, darling! You didn’t have a name for the first four, did she? ‘Thing’, ‘thing’, ‘it’...

With these "sweetie darlings" Pats and Eddy perhaps try to strengthen their femininity, playing sort of famous divas, who know how to behave in a high style way, having lots of friends due to their nice and lovely behaviour. Those words show, however, and in fact only strengthen the girls’ outlandish insincerity. So do the air kisses the girls tend to send on every occasion. And besides, they haven’t got any friends, which, after all, isn’t surprising. "Remember, darling, I'm your only friend. You´re my only friend, darling, remember that. Can I have your car?"

A further way to give an impression of absolute femininity is to use words like "tiny" and "thingie". And this works also when trying to get something or to make somebody do something. In the following example Patsy tries successfully to get Edina leave her work and come with her.

Patsy Oh, Eddy, I thought a little mosey down Bond Street... a little sniff around Gucci, sidle up to Ralph Lauren, pass through Browns and then on the Quags for a light lunch.

In addition to the "sweetie, darlings" Edina and Patsy like to speak in a quite youngish manner, although it sometimes seems their vocabulary is stuck somewhere in the seventies, like Edina’s sometimes very hippie clothing. (But, darling, seventies is back!!) Expressions like "oh yeah" and "come on, let’s.." are not so common nowadays. However, the girls tend to use also a lot of more modern expressions and phrases. "Stuff" and "sniff", "pot" and "stash", "bit" instead of "piece" or "place" and "to talk bollocks" and "smash the place" belong to that section of vocabulary, which is still in use among the young. Examples: "Bit of bad news, darling?" "This is the wall. I recognise this bit from the photograph."

On the other hand, Edina and especially Patsy swear a lot. With Patsy it’s more like an annoying habit that shows how tough a girl she is. She has tried everything, likes to party and is always in a bloody good humour. Edina speaks a little bit more posh-like normally, but when she’s angry, or even the tiniest bit annoyed, there’s no end to her swearwords, either. (see later the longer example of "France"). While Patsy usually keeps repeating a word "damn, damn, damn, damn , damn,..." Edina stays short and simple: "God damn it." Both are very talented in creating new nasty words to describe other people: besides "bastards", "bitches" and "old cows" there are "sow-faced ditch rats" and "stale old pieces of toast", for example.

What concerns the art of drinking and using drugs, Pats and Eddy are certainly aware of the terms dealing with it. The names of medicaments/narcotics, like El Dopa, are well known. And "Stoli"(Stolitsnaya vodka) is for sure in the girls’ everyday speech. "Here, darling. A little Stoli. For the pain." It's, however, rather funny where those terms are used. In the episode "Hospital" Patsy goes to the hospital for cosmetic surgery and is joined by Edina, who has stubbed her toe.

Nurse Now have you any pain?

Patsy No, but I'm still paying. Have you got any of that stuff they use in Awakenings?

Edina El Dopa?

Patsy El Dopa - yes two of those on the rocks and give me some cigarettes.

...

Patsy Water?

Edina Yeah, darling, that’s the mixer you have with whisky!

...

Edina Did I leave a bottle of Stoli here? No? Well, can I have one?

The languages of Mother and Saffy

Edina’s Mother and Saffy represent the more conservative and sensible people in the series. That’s also obvious when analysing their speaking manners. First of all neither Saffy nor Mother ever say "sweetie darling". Mother never swears either, except when imitating Edina; Saffy sometimes does when trying to get Edina to understand something. Usually Saffy speaks in a very clear and simple way. She doesn’t act especially feminine nor try to speak trendy. She is nevertheless very quick with her tongue when getting excited or angry and manages to keep up with Patsy quite well. Because of her interest in social matters her speech sometimes sounds very political.

Mother in her turn has a quite old-fashioned, lovely way of speaking. She ends almost every sentence with "dear". Question tags are also very common in her speech. She often uses "shall" and "one" and speaks in every way very politely. It’s always Patricia and Saffron, never Patsy and Saffy. Her voice always remains calm and peaceful; with some sort of wittiness she listens to her daughter’s rather unpleasant remarks and stays surprisingly calm all the time. For example, when Edina in "Fat" complains about her weight problems:

Edina (To Saffy and Mother) What you two don’t realize is that inside of me, inside of me, there’s a thin person screaming to get out!

Mother Well, just the one; dear?

And what about Bubble?

Bubble has the most wonderful accent in the series. Jane Horrocks, who plays her, is originally from Rossondale Valley in rural Lancashire, and that’s probably where Bubble’s accent comes from. In fact, you can notice many features of Liverpool accent in her speech. So straight indeed is pronounced [streits], singer and finger [singer] and [finger], like thing is [q ing]. Above all this there’s a very heavy velarization which gives Bubble’s short comments a nice distinctive feature that can’t be unnoticed!! Bubble mixes up [ p] words like "head-shrunk" and "head-hunted" and forgets essential words like "fax". "You know... that little thingie... what do they call it? ... It’s small, paper coming out..."

From the episode "France"

In this example you can notice Saffy’s quick tongue and almost political speaking manner, but also Eddy using youth slang expressions, or what she believes as such. You can see Eddy’s way of speaking when annoyed and angry, all those sweeties and darlings as well as the bloody nasty words. In this example Mother imitates Edina’s swears without forgetting her typical "dears" and "ones". Bubble’s remarks are worth noticing too, please imagine them said in her typical accent described in the paragraph above. I hope you enjoy the scene!

In the beginning of the "France" episode ; Edina is about to leave for France with Patsy, when she notices that somebody has been stealing from her...

Edina and Bubble come down the stairs to Edina´s kitchen, where Saffron and Mother are.

Edina Saffy.

Mother Morning, dear.

Edina Oh, god! (Looks at Mother.) What are you doing here?

Mother I’m coming to stay, dear. While you are away. To keep Saffron company.

Edina No. You’re not. Is she, sweetie?

Saffron I don’t mind.

Edina Saffy doesn’t want you staying and cramping her style. She wants a bit of freedom. Wants to have parties, with boys and friends, play loud music and...

Bubble Have orgies.

Edina Yeah, and smash the place up and crash out on the floor.

Bubble In a pool of sick.

Edina Yeah

Saffron I don’t.

Edina Well, why bloody not? Just try it once.

Mother You’re not like your mother in that respect, are you, Saffron? She spent most of her teenage years sitting on a large beanbag, cigarette in one hand, joss stick in the other, and with a large lipped youth suctioned on to her face.

Edina Come here, darling. Come away from that woman.

Mother Shall I make some tea? Nice cuppa tea? Now, where would one find tea-bags?

Edina We don’t have tea-bags. We happen to have tea. (Points.) Saffy, don’t wander away. Something has been stolen from my room.

Saffron What?

Edina A little certain something precious to me, darling.

Bubble Have you seen this pot? (Talking to Mother with a modern looking silver teapot in her hands.)

Edina (Shocked.) Where? Where have you seen it? Tell me. (Quietens when noticing what Bubble really meant.)

Mother (Talking to Bubble.) Sort of space-age teapot, isn’t it, dear? A teapot to boldly go where no teapot has been before. To seek out new life forms.

Saffron I hid your stash.

Edina Where?

Saffron Down the toilet.

Mother Now, what might one use to put the tea into the pot with?

Edina A teaspoon... A bloody buggery teaspoon.

Mother Oh. (Winks at Bubble.) A bloody buggery teaspoon. That sounds rather clever. And where did one fill the kettle, from the bloody marvellous tap I suppose?

Edina No, what we happen to have: a filter. I think that’s all right. ( In fury Edina grabs the kettle and fills it, ranting as she does so.) God, why did you come around? Such endless bloody fuss! This is my house where I should be able to do what I want. Why can’t people let me get on with it? So, busted by my own bloody daughter, have I? (Turns on Saffron.) What am I supposed to do now, sweetie?

Saffron What were you planning to do? Slide it in the lining of your handbag, or insert it in some orifice for some dog to sniff at? I can’t believe you were thinking of taking it with you. I mean, I don’t mind if you have the odd joint at home, in your bedroom.

Edina Oh well, sweetie, thank you. How kind, darling! It was for personal use. You are allowed to have it for personal use.

Saffron Mum, they would send you to prison.

Edina Oh darling, not someone like me, sweetie... not any more.

Saffron Pathetic.

Mother This filtered water boils very fast.

Bubble That’s because there’s less of it.

Saffron (To Edina, speaking very quickly and excited.) I mean, they are illegal drugs. You use them like most people have after-dinner mints...to round off a meal. Either you sniff something to make you speedy or smoke a little something to make you jellybrained. Either way you end up more boring than you can imagine.

Edina A-ha. Well, that’s rich coming from someone who lives their life at a level of boredom that would make a battery chicken take up an evening class.

Saffron Mum, you are supporting a criminal, corrupt, evil system.

Mother Is she insisting on voting Labour again, dear?

Saffron I mean, you are no different to a junkie on the street, to a dealer. As long as people like you go on doing it, giving it a hint of respectability, the evil will continue. Governments will be undermined, countries kept poor, children corrupted, individuals will be killed, intimidated and tortured.

Edina I think you’ve overdosed on John bloody Craven’s Newsround again.

(There’s the sound of the doorbell.)

Edina That’ll be Patsy.

Mother I’ll go. (Leaves the kitchen.)

(End of scene.)

---

Sources

Videotapes:
-How to be Absolutely Fabulous in 30 min
-episodes: Fashion, Fat, France, ISO Tank, Hospital, Death, New Best Friend and Poor
From the www:
- the Global AbFab Site,
- excerpts from the books "Absolutely Fabulous" and "Absolutely Fabulous 2" by Jennifer Saunders
-"An Absolutely Fabulous Finale", an article from the New Yorker , March 20, 1995

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Last Updated 11 September 1998