The BBC has released a first look at its Amandaland Christmas special, giving fans a glimpse at Absolutely Fabulous stars Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders' upcoming reunion. First announced back in October, the Christmas special later confirmed that Saunders would be joining the cast as guest star.
The special episode will mark the first scripted on-screen reunion between Saunders and Lumley since they portrayed the iconic Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone in Ab Fab.
The festive offering from the Motherland spin-off show, which has yet to receive a broadcast date, sees Saunders take on the role of Aunt Joan, sister to Lumley's Felicity.
Aunt Joan is described as "a ball of country-living, enthusiastic upper-class bluster – very, very different from Felicity".
In the newly released image, Lumley and Saunders can be seen sitting either side of Lucy Punch, who plays the titular Amanda. Standing behind them are stars Philippa Dunne, Samuel Anderson, Alexander Shaw and Miley Locke.
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Set on what appears to be Christmas Day, the family are sporting Christmas cracker hats while sitting at a dining table full of mince pies, a pavlova, a Christmas pudding and a cheese board.
Previously speaking about the Christmas special, Saunders said: "I am delighted to be joining the fabulous Amandaland gang for a Christmas special. Playing Joanna’s on-screen sister is guaranteed to be a laugh, who doesn’t love a family reunion SoHa style!"
Meanwhile, Punch said: "I’m beyond excited to get started on Amandaland series two with our brilliantly talented lovely cast. The Christmas special is going to be an absolute cracker – it’s like totes fire, with all the festive feels, for reals. Slay bells!"
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Co-writer and creator Holly Walsh and co-writer Laurence Rickard said: "We're thrilled to bits to have a Christmas special and Jennifer Saunders is the perfect addition to the gang."
Announcing the Christmas special back in October, Lumley told The Chris Evans Breakfast Show: "I'm just about to start another series of Amandaland. [It] was a gorgeous, wild success. Clever clever Lucy Punch. We're just about to start seven more episodes and one is a Christmas special for this year."
Amandaland airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
