Mirrorball
GenreSitcom; TV pilot
Created byJennifer Saunders
Written byJennifer Saunders
Directed byAdrian Edmondson
StarringJennifer Saunders
Joanna Lumley
Julia Sawalha
June Whitfield
Jane Horrocks
Opening themeNo More Heroes
performed by Hugh Cornwell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
ProducerJon Plowman
EditorChris Wadsworth
Camera setupVideo
Running time29 minutes
Production companyBBC Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release22 December 2000 (2000-12-22)
Related
Absolutely Fabulous

Mirrorball was a sitcom pilot in the United Kingdom directed by Adrian Edmondson and written by Jennifer Saunders. It originally aired on 22 December 2000.[1]

All of the main cast members (and several supporting cast members) from the popular series Absolutely Fabulous were also cast in this show, although the plot and characters were completely different. It was produced as a pilot episode for what Saunders intended to be a new show. Mirrorball ended up inspiring Saunders to revive Absolutely Fabulous in 2001, and a full series was never produced.

Plot synopsis

The show centers around Vivienne Keill (Saunders) and Jackie Riviera (Joanna Lumley), two aging stage actresses who live in vertically adjacent flats. The two are of questionable talent, and their careers seem to be at a standstill. During the course of the pilot, Vivienne has the opportunity to be cast in a new show but delivers a horrifying rendition of the standard "Send in the Clowns", thanks in part to Jackie's off-kilter advice.

Julia Sawalha plays Freda Keill, Vivienne's younger sister and a more serious (and successful) actress. Jane Horrocks plays Yitta Hilberstam, a vicious Icelandic actress/waitress. June Whitfield appears as Dora Vermouth, a former vaudeville actress who spends most of her time intoxicated at the local pub and is showing slight signs of dementia. Harriet Thorpe plays Cat Rogers, an actress who is busy understudying multiple roles.

Cast

Main

Guest

  • Matthew Francis as Theatre Producer
  • Sean Chapman as Mark
  • Alan Corser as Johnny
  • Andy Clarkson as Postman
  • Rupert Bates as Gordon
  • Nigel Ellacott as Jackie's Fan 1
  • Peter Robbins as Jackie's Fan 2
  • George Hall as Pianist
  • Bonnie Langford as herself

Reception

The episode received a viewing figure of 6,690,000 and ranked 20th place during the week it was broadcast on BBC One.

Availability

Mirrorball is available as an "extra" on the DVD edition of Absolutely Fabulous series 4.

References

  1. ↑ "Comedy - Mirrorball". BBC. Retrieved 7 November 2010.


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