NAME THE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS STAR BEFORE PATSY STONE!
The actress pictured in the 1976 promotional portrait is Joanna Lumley, long before she became internationally beloved as the outrageous, glamorous, and gloriously self-absorbed Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous. Her journey from 1960s model to action heroine, dramatic actress, comedy icon, and celebrated public figure is one of the most fascinating careers in British television.
In 1976, Lumley was entering the role that would make her a household name. As Purdey in The New Avengers, she stepped into one of British television’s most famous spy franchises, appearing alongside Patrick Macnee’s sophisticated John Steed and Gareth Hunt’s Mike Gambit. Lumley played Purdey as stylish, intelligent, physically capable, and unmistakably cool. The role transformed her career almost overnight. (Wikipedia)
But Purdey was only the beginning.
Before Purdey: The Model Who Wanted More
Joanna Lumley was born on May 1, 1946, in Srinagar, India, then part of British India. Her father, James Rutherford Lumley, served as an officer in the Gurkha Rifles, and her childhood was spent in different parts of Asia before her family eventually returned to Britain. (IMDb)
Before becoming a major actress, Lumley built a successful modeling career in London during the 1960s. She was photographed by prominent photographers and became one of the more recognizable faces of the era. Her modeling experience gave her something that would later prove invaluable on television: an ability to command attention simply by walking into a room.
But modeling was not ultimately enough for her.
Lumley wanted to act.
Her earliest screen work included appearances in films and television productions, but the road to stardom was not immediate. She later described the period before The New Avengers as a difficult stretch in which she was frequently asked to play characters whose principal purpose was simply to look attractive. (The Irish Times)
Then came Purdey.
Enter Purdey
When The New Avengers was being developed, producers needed a new female lead who could stand alongside the established figure of John Steed.
The role eventually went to Lumley after an enormous audition process. Sources note that hundreds of actresses competed for the part, with IMDb’s biography stating that more than 800 women auditioned. (IMDb)
Purdey was a fascinating character for 1970s television.
She was not simply the glamorous woman accompanying male heroes. She was an active participant in the action, trained in martial arts and capable of handling dangerous situations herself. She could fight, shoot, drive, investigate, and outsmart opponents.
That physicality helped separate Lumley from the conventional image of the glamorous television actress.
She also brought enormous personality to Purdey. The character had a sharp wit and a distinctive sense of style, and Lumley’s performance helped make her one of the most memorable figures in the Avengers universe. (Wikipedia)
And then there was the haircut.
The Purdey Haircut
Few television hairstyles have become as closely associated with a character as Lumley’s short, rounded Purdey cut.
The style became a genuine fashion phenomenon during the 1970s. Women and girls copied it, turning the hairstyle into an instantly recognizable symbol of the era.
It was another indication that Lumley had become more than an actress appearing on television. She was becoming a cultural presence.
The transformation was remarkable.
Only a few years earlier, she had been working through smaller acting roles. Now she was appearing every week as a stylish action heroine whose clothes, hairstyle, and mannerisms were being imitated by viewers.
The New Avengers ran from 1976 to 1977, with Lumley appearing as Purdey throughout its run. (Wikipedia)
Yet she did not allow the success of Purdey to define her forever.
From Spy Heroine to Sapphire
After The New Avengers, Lumley moved into another unusual television role.
In 1979, she began playing Sapphire in the science-fiction series Sapphire & Steel, opposite David McCallum.
The series was very different from The New Avengers. Rather than straightforward espionage adventures, it dealt with strange supernatural and time-related phenomena. Lumley played Sapphire as an enigmatic, otherworldly figure.
The role demonstrated that she could move comfortably between genres. She was no longer simply the action heroine from The New Avengers.
She was an actress capable of creating characters with very different personalities and atmospheres. (IMDb)
Her work during the following decade included theater, film, television appearances, and comedy. One particularly memorable film performance came in Shirley Valentine in 1989. (IMDb)
But the role that would ultimately transform Lumley’s public image was still waiting for her.
Enter Patsy Stone
In 1992, Absolutely Fabulous arrived on BBC television.
Created by Jennifer Saunders, the series centered on Edina Monsoon, a chaotic publicist obsessed with fashion, youth, celebrity, and social status.
Then there was Patsy Stone.
Played by Joanna Lumley, Patsy was almost the opposite of the competent Purdey.
Purdey was disciplined.
Patsy was spectacularly undisciplined.
Purdey fought villains.
Patsy fought the aging process.
Purdey was physically capable.
Patsy’s greatest survival skill was somehow continuing to party despite years of excess.
And yet the same confidence that made Purdey compelling also made Patsy unforgettable.
Lumley embraced the character’s absurdity completely.
Patsy was glamorous, selfish, outrageous, vain, unpredictable, and frequently intoxicated. Her relationship with Jennifer Saunders’s Edina became the comedic engine of the series.
The contrast between the two women was part of the magic.
Edina desperately wanted to appear fashionable and successful.
Patsy behaved as though she had already conquered the world.
The result was television comedy that became deeply embedded in British popular culture.
Patsy Was Not Joanna Lumley
One of the fascinating aspects of the character is how different Patsy was from Lumley herself.
In interviews, Lumley has emphasized that Patsy and she are not the same person. The character was deliberately exaggerated into a grotesque comic creation.
The Guardian has described Patsy as substantially a creation of Lumley herself, explaining that she, Saunders, and others developed the character during the early stages of the show. (The Guardian)
That distinction is important.
Patsy’s extravagant behavior could easily have become a caricature without a skilled performer behind it. Lumley gave her rhythm, timing, physical comedy, voice, and an almost supernatural sense of confidence.
She knew exactly when to exaggerate and when to remain completely serious.
That is one reason Patsy worked.
The character might say something ridiculous, but Lumley would deliver it as though it were the most important statement ever made.
A Comedy Icon Is Born
Absolutely Fabulous became a major success in Britain and developed a strong international following.
Lumley received major recognition for the performance, including BAFTA success, and Patsy became one of the defining television comedy characters of the 1990s and beyond. (Fandango)
The series returned several times over the years, including later specials and the 2016 feature film.
For an actress who had first become famous as an action heroine, the transformation was remarkable.
Many actors spend their careers trying to escape the role that made them famous.
Lumley effectively did the opposite.
She embraced her earlier fame as Purdey while creating an entirely new identity as Patsy.
Both characters remain beloved for completely different reasons.
The Real Joanna Lumley
Away from acting, Lumley has also become known for activism and humanitarian work.
Her support for Gurkha rights has been particularly prominent, reflecting her family connection to the Gurkha Rifles through her father. She has also been associated with campaigns including Free Tibet. She was appointed an OBE in 1995. (The Independent)
This side of Lumley’s life is sometimes overlooked because Patsy Stone is such an enormous comic presence.
But the contrast tells us something important about the actress.
Joanna Lumley is capable of playing an absurd fictional character while maintaining a serious and committed public life outside television.
That versatility has helped keep her relevant for decades.
From 1976 to Today
Looking at a photograph of Lumley from 1976 is therefore like looking at the opening chapter of a much larger story.
At the time, audiences knew her as Purdey.
They could not yet know that the actress in that photograph would eventually become one of Britain’s most celebrated comedy performers.
They could not know that her future career would include science fiction, theater, film, documentary work, activism, and countless television appearances.
And most importantly, they could not know that more than a decade later she would create Patsy Stone.
The contrast between Purdey and Patsy is almost perfect.
One is a sophisticated secret agent with remarkable physical skills.
The other is a champagne-loving fashion obsessive who treats every social occasion as an opportunity for excess.
Both, however, possess the same essential ingredient: Joanna Lumley’s extraordinary screen presence.
A Career Built on Reinvention
That may be the best way to understand Lumley’s career.
She never allowed one successful role to become her entire identity.
Purdey made her famous.
Sapphire showed another side of her.
Her stage and film work demonstrated her dramatic range.
And Patsy Stone turned her into a comedy legend.
The photograph from 1976 captures Lumley at the beginning of her breakthrough period, before the character that would ultimately become her most internationally recognizable creation had even been imagined.
Today, when people think of Joanna Lumley, many immediately picture Patsy Stone’s enormous sunglasses, glamorous clothes, outrageous behavior, and unforgettable comic delivery.
But before Patsy there was Purdey.
Before the champagne, fashion magazines, and outrageous parties, there was a stylish young actress stepping into The New Avengers and proving that she could command a television screen.
That is why the 1976 image is so fascinating.
It does not simply show an actress in an old promotional portrait.
It captures Joanna Lumley at the moment when a remarkable career was beginning to take shape — a career that would eventually take her from Purdey to Sapphire, from dramatic roles to comedy, and finally to one of British television’s most enduring creations: Patsy Stone.
The answer is Joanna Lumley — the future Patsy Stone, but in 1976, already a star in the making as Purdey. (Wikipedia)
