After its surprise fourth season in 2001 proved that
Absolutely Fabulous still had an eager audience on both sides of the Atlantic, creator
Jennifer Saunders returned with the special Absolutely Fabulous: Gay in 2002 and this fifth regular season in 2003. With a Christmas special tacked onto a typical six-episode run, season five marked the third time in a row that one-offs had punctuated the regular "AbFab" seasons. With all of the principals and many recurring guest stars back on board, the season provided a stronger-than-usual continuing plotline in the form of a pregnancy. Fresh from a humanitarian tour of duty in Africa, Saffy (
Julia Sawalha) arrives to announce that she is having an interracial love child. New cast member Felix Dexter stepped in to portray Saffy's brand-obsessed baby daddy, John Johnson, while
Jane Horrocks split her time between her fourth-season character Katy Grin and her original role as the ditzy Bubble. Celebrity cameos abounded, from former Spice Girl
Emma Bunton to actress
Minnie Driver and pop star
Elton John; all portrayed essentially themselves. Saunders -- and many fans -- celebrated "Schmoozin'" as one of their all-time favorite episodes; in it, Edina (Saunders) and Patsy (
Joanna Lumley) gain access to the lost musical archives of
The Beatles, with predictably horrific results. Although the Christmas special,
Cold Turkey, promised a death among the characters, enough of the cast survived for the BBC to announce a sixth season shortly after the fifth ended its run. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide