Two has-beens, one flat, zero talent — the pilot that died so we could laugh.
Vivienne Keill and Jackie Riviera are a couple of aging stage actresses who live in vertically adjacent flats. The two are of questionable talent, and their careers seem to be at a standstill. During the course of the pilot, Vivienne has the opportunity to be cast in a new show but delivers a horrifying rendition of the standard "Send in the Clowns", thanks in part to Jackie's off-kilter advice.
Acting
Saunders and Lumley's decades-honed chemistry, even in shambles.
Writing
Self-aware satire of actors playing actors playing badly.
Director
Adrian Edmondson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was a failed pilot for a sitcom that never launched, later resurrected as extra material on Absolutely Fabulous DVDs.
Saunders and Lumley had already defined British female comedy friendship for a decade; this was their attempt to stretch that dynamic into theatrical has-been territory.
GB
US
