The Absolutely Fabulous Joanna Lumley Celebrates Political Victory

Gurkhas, an ethnic group from Nepal, have fought in the British Army for over 150 years. Yet many of those veterans were barred from living in the very country they so passionately defended for years.

Actress Joanna Lumley, best known for her role as Patsy on Absolutely Fabulous, has been a vocal campaigner to allow Gurkha soldiers residency rights in Britain.

And her hard work has paid off: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has now allowed those veterans the right to move to the UK.

Lumley was triumphant upon hearing the news, and she gave this tearful, impassioned speech:

Now isn’t she simply gorgeous, poised, and all kinds of amazing?

Lumley sat down with Sir David Frost on British Al Jazeera earlier this month to discuss her activism. She reveals the reason why she has so ardently fought for Gurkha residency rights: her father was a soldier in India, her birthplace, and a Gurkha fighter saved his life. It’s a wonderful interview (almost 15 minutes in length):

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• UK band Elbow have capped a monumental year with two big Ivor Novello wins. Their masterpiece, “Grounds For Divorce”, won Best Contemporary Song. Fine by me: I named “Grounds For Divorce” the best song of 2008.
• Jarvis Cocker will star in Wes Anderson‘s adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s Fantastic Mr. Fox.(Guardian)