the grotesques: Absolutely Fabulous

Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) was a genuinely funny and grotesque creation and the early seasons of Absolutely Fabulous had their moments. Unfortunately, Jennifer Saunders and the BBC decided to keep flogging a terminally-ill horse and produced another two seasons (plus some one-off specials) of increasingly unfunny episodes. Along the way the BBC contract with Jennifer Saunders also generated the pathetic Mirrorball (maybe we could do something else with the same cast and similar characters) and the spectacularly unfunny Let Them Eat Cake.

Patsy appeared in two different old-age makeups in the episodes The End and Menopause: in both she grew old very disgracefully.

Jan Sewell was the makeup and hair designer on the series.