Joanna Lumley

The first biography of Joanna Lumley, one of Britain's best-loved and most accomplished actresses whose outrageous, champagne-swigging, bee-hived hedonist Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous is acknowledged as one of the great TV characterisations of the nineties; For over four decades, since she became a top model in the Swinging Sixties, Joanna has remained an endlessly fascinating figure and is now regarded as something of a national treasure. An exotic cocktail of Home Counties and Hollywood, Joanna is revered as much for her tireless campaigning for animal rights and numerous other charities as for her repertory of characters on stage, screen and TV - which have earned her wide acclaim from critics and public alike as well as the television industry's highest awards and an OBE. Joanna has progressed from James Bond girl to Coronation Street, from BBC chat show host to weekly diarist for The Times; from trendsetting star of The New Avengers to TV island castaway; from Sapphire and Steel sci-fi heroine to cerebral Call My Bluff panellist; from skilled stage and TV comedienne to the voice behind countless commercials; from adventurer in India and the Far East to committed vegetarian and eco warrior, and much more besides. This affectionate and immensely readable biography is partly based on the authors' many interviews with Joanna over the years in which she has talked candidly about many aspects of her professional and personal life. Meticulously researched, the book draws on interviews with relatives, friends and co-stars to produce an astonishingly revealing portrait of one of Britain's most likeable stars.