Absolutely Fabulous began life as a sketch on French & Saunders but with Dawn French playing the role of Saffy. A pilot for the series was filmed but studio executives didn't believe that Dawn French was convincing playing a teenage girl and the part of Saffy was offered to Julia Sawalha. Joanna Lumley and June Whitfield were added to the cast and the popular BBC comedy series was ready to hit the airwaves. It remained one of the networks highest rated shows throughout it's complete run and was also a smash hit in the United States.
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