Absolute Attitude

Sweetie, darlings.

The world may have entered the 21st century, but those Stoli swigging London swingers Patsy and Edina, from the popular British comedy series “Absolutely Fabulous,” are firmly entrenched in the 20th century.

After a five-year absence, “Ab Fab”--as its devoted fans refer to it--is back with six new episodes on Comedy Central. The new season kicks off Monday on the cable network.

Edina (series creator and writer Jennifer Saunders) has expanded her Monsoon PR into the world of television production. Her best pal Patsy (Joanna Lumley) is now a managing editor of a glossy magazine while still abusing every substance available and sleeping with every man she meets.

Edina’s disapproving daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) is still trying to leave the nest and has developed into a budding playwright. Edina’s mother (June Whitfeld) has taken up salsa dance and is addicted to shopping on the Internet. Bubble (Jane Horrocks), Edina’s scatterbrained assistant, is still getting everything wrong. Adding to the mix this year is Kathy Grin (also played by Horrocks), a ruthless TV presenter. Twiggy Lawson guests on the premiere.

Saunders had no intention of resurrecting “Ab Fab” when the series ended five years ago. But over the years, she admits, she missed doing it. “I enjoyed writing it. I thought it would be OK to bring it back.”

Last year, she and the “Ab Fab” stars did a pilot for another series, “Mirrorball,” in which they played different characters. Saunders, though, wasn’t happy with the results. The pilot aired as a special in England and just recently on BBC America.

The new season of “Ab Fab,” Saunders reports, had a great reception from British audiences, though, she adds, that some members of the press there were a “bit sniffy” toward the series.

“I think they had to criticize it a bit,” says Saunders. “I mean, I could have written [the reviews] myself. I knew exactly what they were going to say--it had had its day. It was a bit passe now.”

Saunders and executive producer Jon Plowman don’t agree. “Jennifer was very keen, we were all very keen, that we didn’t want to ignore the passage of time,” says Plowman. “It should feel like these two people who originally were out front, as it were, were now running behind.”

“I like the idea that Edina is no longer the center of everything,” says Saunders. “She is not as hip to the beat as she was. That is actually the main theme of all of them is the fact that they can’t quite hack it anymore.”

Besides, says Saunders, the definition of hip has changed radically in England over the past decade. “It is not all about big designer names now or the most expensive parties,” she explains. “Hipness is almost a secret. Stella McCartney is the hippest person, but she sits outside a sandwich bar in nowhere land.”

In the first episode, Patsy, in a desperate attempt to stay young, self-injects a Botox-type substance into her face, which makes her unable to open her mouth or close her eyes. In the second episode, Patsy coaches Edina on how to seduce a young, handsome landscaper, whom they both believe is an heir to a fortune. As with most of her attempts at seduction, Edina fails miserably.

“I don’t think she’s ever had much sex,” Saunders says of Edina. “She doesn’t have any body confidence at all. So the idea of sex means somebody will have to see her naked, and she doesn’t even look at herself naked.”

As of press time, Comedy Central didn’t know if it was going to edit a line from the third episode in which Patsy, Edina and Saffy go to Paris. In one scene at a fancy restaurant, Edina notices a statue of a giant Buddha. Edina tells Saffy that, hopefully, the Taliban won’t find out about the artwork.

“When I wrote it, it was nothing,” says Saunders. “All we knew the Taliban for was blowing up some Buddhas. It meant nothing at the time.”

“Absolutely Fabulous” can be seen Mondays at 9 p.m. on Comedy Central. The network has rated the premiere episode TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14).