Brace yourselves. Edina and Patsy are back. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley and the entire cast of Absolutely Fabulous, including Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks and June Whitfield, return for a holiday special and two more during 2012 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its premiere in 1992. Picking up right where they left off in 2005, filming has begun in London’s Mayfair shopping district where both Pats and Eddy are refused entry to Stella McCartney’s shop and surprise, surprise, get a little toasted at lunch. Word is that the plot will, somehow, feature the London 2012 Olympics. Let’s hope the Olympic athlete’s uniforms aren’t Lacroix.

One personal concern that I hope will be immediately put to bed is that the series is being produced by BBC America and Logo. Historically, something happens, not necessarily in a good way, when American television networks get their hands on a British series. I never felt that the third season of The League of Gentlemen was as good when it became a co-production with Comedy Central. The first two were brilliant. Same with my secret favorite comedy guilty pleasure, Suburban Shootout. The second series, a co-production with Oxygen Network just didn’t measure up to the first series. If haven’t seen series one, it really is must see TV.

It is comforting, however, to hear from Jennifer Saunders, who remarked, “Like a good bottle of Champagne, we hope that we have gotten better with time without losing any of our sparkle. Last week when we started filming in dear old west London, it was as if nothing had changed. It was raining. Nevertheless we are so happy to be working for an audience that has grown just a tiny bit older like us but is still willing to let us fall over on TV in the name of P.R.”