The Absolutely Fabulous Jennifer ‘Podge’ Saunders

The award-winning Ms Saunders - whose hilarious comic creations have graced stage and screen for three decades - was in conversation with Darren Scott, Editor of the Gay Times.

Add libbing from the start, Ms Saunders, along with an impromptu appearance from pet whippet ‘Olive’ who, totally unfazed by a few hundred people, nonchalantly strolled on stage to see what the fuss was all about, did what she does best and had the audience laughing out loud right from the off.

A slide show of some of the personal pictures which appear in Bonkers accompanied the discussion. From childhood to meeting comedy partner Dawn French, and husband Ade Edmondson, to phenomenal success with French and Saunders and Absolutely Fabulous, she was funny, frank and disarmingly honest about her life, and success as comedian, writer, wife, mother and grand-mother.

On the more serious side she touched briefly on her fight with breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy and loosing her hair saying she ‘had a positive attitude’ about it. And whilst many celebrities would shy away from showing photographs of themselves and the subsequent baldness from cancer treatment, Ms Saunders had no such qualms. She talks about these experiences in more detail in her book and are nothing short of inspirational to anyone facing the same life-changing illness.

A question and answer session and book signing left the audience in no doubt - Absolutely Fabulous dahling.