Patsy Stone
Encyclopedia
Eurydice Colette Clytemnestra Dido Bathsheba Rabelais Patricia Cocteau Stone, more commonly known as Patsy Stone, is a fictional character on the UK television series Absolutely Fabulous
, portrayed by actress Joanna Lumley
.
mother in Paris
. She and Edina Monsoon
were childhood friends, and since her mother despised and neglected her—regarding her more as a rival than a daughter—she came to rely on the Monsoons for most of her shelter, comfort, and food (though she has only been seen eating twice since 1973). She mentioned that her mother would have had an abortion
, though she mistook her pregnancy for the onset of the menopause
. The first few years of her life were spent locked in a room, and the rest of her childhood was dismal by Patsy's own description, without friends, parties, or presents. She claims to have blocked out everything before 1968, though occasionally memories come back to her in the form of flashbacks. She is an outrageous, nymphomaniacal, past-her-prime fashion model and "ex-Bond girl
" (although her only actual "Bond" films were Bond Meets Black Emmanuelle
, Boldfinger, and The Man with Thunder Balls – Joanna Lumley was a genuine Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
) who drinks and smokes heavily. She shares a codependent parasitic existence with Edina. This relationship usually results in hilarious, albeit dysfunctional, behaviour and over-the-top conflicts. Patsy was born on 30 October, although her actual age is never clearly divulged; she often states herself to be between 39 and 43. In one episode ("Cold Turkey") a nurse guesses that she is around 65 years old. Patsy also has a sister named Jackie, whom Eddy abhors and who twice tried to kill Patsy with drug overdoses. Jackie intimidates Patsy into stating that Patsy is the elder of the two, and says, in the same episode, that she is 72, to which Patsy replies "My God, then how old does that make me?".
Patsy usually seems quite cold and unemotive, especially in her behaviour toward her chief rival Saffy, but she sometimes reveals a more vulnerable side (in flashbacks to her bleak life with her mother, in her overeager admiration for the awful Jackie, and in those rare moments when Eddy temporarily withdraws her friendship) and even occasionally asks Saffy for advice. Unlike Eddy, she is usually conservatively, but stylishly, dressed and almost invariably wears her hair in a characteristic blonde beehive
. She has a well-paying, do-nothing job as a fashion director for a fashion magazine, which she received after having sex with the publisher. She then went on to work at "Jeremy's", an exclusive high street fashion store with celebrity clients such as Minnie Driver
. It is hinted that Patsy has been involved in some questionable activities, such as adult films; she uses her knowledge from that time to blackmail Saffron's prospective mother-in-law. At a party to launch a new Beatles
track in the episode "Schmoozin", Patsy's appearance in the low-budget soft porn movie Booberella is shown to the guests, much to her embarrassment. When faced with a situation that someone else might find alarming or disconcerting, Patsy often responds with a cool "right, cheers, thanks a lot." During the 1970s in Morocco, Patsy underwent a sex change
operation and briefly lived as a man; but, as Eddy says, "it fell off". In a later episode, she becomes one of the few tourists to smuggle marijuana into Morocco. She is very promiscuous up until "The Last Shout", then begins to lose her power over men. In two episodes ("Door Handle" and "The Last Shout") it is revealed that Patsy lives in the storeroom above Oddbins
, a chain of UK liquor stores. She says that she has not eaten anything since 1973, having had a "stomach bypass" according to Eddy. She is shown in a flashback in the episode "Magazine" to be eating a plate of food. There are 2 other instances where she does eat: in the episode "New Year's Eve" she painfully chews and swallows a potato crisp, then is visibly shaken from having actually eaten something; and in the Christmas Special "Cold Turkey" she renders the entire assembly speechless by demurely asking for a small slice of turkey during Christmas lunch, but chokes it up upon eating it.
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, portrayed by actress Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
.
Background
Patsy was the last of a string of children born to an aging bohemianBohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
mother in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She and Edina Monsoon
Edina Monsoon
Edina Monsoon is the main character in the BBC programme Absolutely Fabulous, played by Jennifer Saunders, who is also the creator of the show. The character is known for her extravagance and various attempts to follow new crazes and trends....
were childhood friends, and since her mother despised and neglected her—regarding her more as a rival than a daughter—she came to rely on the Monsoons for most of her shelter, comfort, and food (though she has only been seen eating twice since 1973). She mentioned that her mother would have had an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, though she mistook her pregnancy for the onset of the menopause
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
. The first few years of her life were spent locked in a room, and the rest of her childhood was dismal by Patsy's own description, without friends, parties, or presents. She claims to have blocked out everything before 1968, though occasionally memories come back to her in the form of flashbacks. She is an outrageous, nymphomaniacal, past-her-prime fashion model and "ex-Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
" (although her only actual "Bond" films were Bond Meets Black Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French softcore erotic movies based on a character created by Emmanuelle Arsan in the novel Emmanuelle...
, Boldfinger, and The Man with Thunder Balls – Joanna Lumley was a genuine Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
) who drinks and smokes heavily. She shares a codependent parasitic existence with Edina. This relationship usually results in hilarious, albeit dysfunctional, behaviour and over-the-top conflicts. Patsy was born on 30 October, although her actual age is never clearly divulged; she often states herself to be between 39 and 43. In one episode ("Cold Turkey") a nurse guesses that she is around 65 years old. Patsy also has a sister named Jackie, whom Eddy abhors and who twice tried to kill Patsy with drug overdoses. Jackie intimidates Patsy into stating that Patsy is the elder of the two, and says, in the same episode, that she is 72, to which Patsy replies "My God, then how old does that make me?".
Patsy usually seems quite cold and unemotive, especially in her behaviour toward her chief rival Saffy, but she sometimes reveals a more vulnerable side (in flashbacks to her bleak life with her mother, in her overeager admiration for the awful Jackie, and in those rare moments when Eddy temporarily withdraws her friendship) and even occasionally asks Saffy for advice. Unlike Eddy, she is usually conservatively, but stylishly, dressed and almost invariably wears her hair in a characteristic blonde beehive
Beehive (hairstyle)
The Beehive is a woman's hairstyle that resembles a beehive; it is elegant and it is also known as the B-52, for its similarity to the bulbous nose of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. It originated as one of a variety of elaborately teased and lacquered versions of "big hair" that developed from...
. She has a well-paying, do-nothing job as a fashion director for a fashion magazine, which she received after having sex with the publisher. She then went on to work at "Jeremy's", an exclusive high street fashion store with celebrity clients such as Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
. It is hinted that Patsy has been involved in some questionable activities, such as adult films; she uses her knowledge from that time to blackmail Saffron's prospective mother-in-law. At a party to launch a new Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
track in the episode "Schmoozin", Patsy's appearance in the low-budget soft porn movie Booberella is shown to the guests, much to her embarrassment. When faced with a situation that someone else might find alarming or disconcerting, Patsy often responds with a cool "right, cheers, thanks a lot." During the 1970s in Morocco, Patsy underwent a sex change
Sex change
Sex change is a term often used for gender reassignment therapy, that is, all medical procedures transgendered people can have, or specifically to sexual reassignment surgery, which usually refers to genitalia surgery only...
operation and briefly lived as a man; but, as Eddy says, "it fell off". In a later episode, she becomes one of the few tourists to smuggle marijuana into Morocco. She is very promiscuous up until "The Last Shout", then begins to lose her power over men. In two episodes ("Door Handle" and "The Last Shout") it is revealed that Patsy lives in the storeroom above Oddbins
Oddbins
Oddbins is a United Kingdom-based wine and alcohol retail chain, established in 1963 by Ahmed Pochee.-History:In 1963, entrepreneur Ahmed Pochee starts up a small business delivering bin-ends and oddments of wine to the restaurants and clubs of London's West End...
, a chain of UK liquor stores. She says that she has not eaten anything since 1973, having had a "stomach bypass" according to Eddy. She is shown in a flashback in the episode "Magazine" to be eating a plate of food. There are 2 other instances where she does eat: in the episode "New Year's Eve" she painfully chews and swallows a potato crisp, then is visibly shaken from having actually eaten something; and in the Christmas Special "Cold Turkey" she renders the entire assembly speechless by demurely asking for a small slice of turkey during Christmas lunch, but chokes it up upon eating it.