Absolutely Fabulous
France
TV Flash files “France” as hour 3 of 33 in the TV Flash guide — Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012) on BBC One, season 1, episode 3, aired 1992-11-26, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E03: listed hour 3 of 33 in the Absolutely Fabulous guide, hour 3 of 6 in season 1. It aired 1992-11-26 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Fat” (S01E02). Next is “Iso Tank” (S01E04).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Edina and Patsy head to Provence on holiday, but things do not go as expected. Bubble and Saffron come to their rescue.
Viewer FAQ
Where does France sit in the Absolutely Fabulous guide?
S01E03 is listed hour 3 of 33 — hour 3 of 6 in season 1, season 1 episode 3.
When did Absolutely Fabulous S01E03 air?
France aired 1992-11-26 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Is it a U.S. sitcom?
BBC One from 1992, with a U.S. cult via comedy imports. Saunders and Lumley as fashion-PR degenerates, not a Must-See clone.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Sweetie darling: fashion PR as self-destruction, champagne as plot, two women who refuse respectability. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley treat aging, money, and taste as contact sports. British import comedy that dared U.S. living rooms — female excess without apology, ancestor of every later show that let women be disasters on purpose.
In medias res in a fashion-PR hangover: champagne as plot, two women who refuse respectability, a sensible daughter already judging the lighting. Jennifer Saunders created the BBC sitcom (premiere 1992) and starred opposite Joanna Lumley's Patsy; Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield, and Jane Horrocks completed a household that treats aging, money, and taste as contact sports. Max can keep his drop-day degenerates; this is British import comedy that dared U.S. living rooms via PBS and cable — female excess without…
Filed against
- Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon
Jennifer Saunders’s Edina Monsoon made Absolutely Fabulous a champagne crime scene — fashion PR as self-destruction, two women who refuse respectability, aging and money and taste as contact sports. Sweetie darling as a 1990s import dare.…
- Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone
Joanna Lumley made Patsy Stone a contact sport on Absolutely Fabulous — champagne as plot, fashion PR as self-destruction, two women who refuse respectability. Jennifer Saunders’s partner in female excess without apology. TV Flash files…
- Julia Sawalha as Saffron Monsoon
Julia Sawalha’s Saffron Monsoon was Absolutely Fabulous’s designated adult — fashion PR as self-destruction, champagne as plot, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley treating aging, money, and taste as contact sports. British import that…
- June Whitfield as Mother
June Whitfield’s Mother sat through Absolutely Fabulous as the original problem — fashion PR as self-destruction, champagne as plot, Saunders and Lumley treating aging, money, and taste as contact sports. British import excess without…
- Jane Horrocks as Bubble
Jane Horrocks’s Bubble made Absolutely Fabulous sound like a PA with no filter — sweetie darling adjacent, fashion PR as self-destruction, champagne as plot, two women who refuse respectability. 1990s British import excess. TV Flash files…