Absolutely Fabulous: Patsy is transgender, reveals Joanna Lumley

'You go back and pick through it, the amount of gay references and ease with which it’s been put into the story, it's really normal'

Absolutely Fabulous has always populated its high-fashion world with LGBT individuals, blazing the trail without any sense of smug satisfaction or overt underlining.

And, with its first cinematic escapade due to hit cinemas, comes confirmation of something which has long been assumed by many fans of the show, thanks to small hints and teases throughout the years. Yes, Joanna Lumley has confirmed that Pasty Stone is indeed transgender.

"You go back and pick through it, the amount of gay references and ease with which it’s been put into the story, without it being dragged along like a great log of plot," Lumley explained to V Magazine. "It’s really normal that one of [Edina’s] ex-husbands now lives with his young boyfriend. It’s completely normal that [Edina] wants Saffy [Edina’s long-suffering daughter] to be a lesbian or that Serge [Edina’s long lost son] is gay and living in New York. It’s completely normal that Patsy is transgender."

The fact this is merely a throwaway comment absolutely encapsulates the attitude Lumley is speaking of, choosing to be progressive in the most natural way possible, and not treating Pasty's gender as the cornerstone of her character.

There certainly have been references in the past, with Edina once reflecting back to a time in 1971 when Patsy was said to have had a sex change operation. In the show's fifth season in 2003, there was a flashback of Patsy sporting a moustache.

The film version, however, has come under fire for a lack inclusivity elsewhere; with Margaret Cho speaking out against the "yellowface" casting of Janette Tough as Japanese fashion designer Huki Muki.

The full-length trailer for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie revealed the fashionistas, still as debauched as ever, heading to "London's biggest fashion event of the year" in order to sign up Kate Moss when they hear the model's "changing PR." Instead of signing her up, however, it seems Edina accidentally bumps her into the River Thames.

Heading to the French Riviera - "we're in the south of France, everyone's a criminal!" - the duo hatches a plan in order to live the high life once again.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie hits UK cinemas 1 July.