Was This On Hiatus?

British shows don't go on hiatus, that is more of an American TV thing.

In the US, a show is commissioned and will run continually unless they place it on Hiatus for varying reasons.

UK shows have never run like this. Typically, a first series will get commissioned for 6 episodes and if it's successful the station with commission another 6 for a second series. However, our shows do not run between September and May, new series can be screened at any point during the year.

When a show then becomes very popular (as AbFab did) it's common for all the cast to start getting more work opportunities and it becomes harder to assemble them all within the same schedule. Therefore, you will often get several years between one series and the next. This cannot happen in US TV shows as from the pilot the cast are 'optioned' which means they sign a contract to say they will be available for filming within a certain period of the year for 5 years. If the show remains 'active' they have to be available to work on it. After 5 years 'the option' ends and the cast have the chance to renegotiate (and demand a huge amount of money) or leave the series. Effectively they are 'released' at this point. No such thing happens in the UK, the actors are only employed on a series by series basis - so obviously it becomes harder to get their schedules matched up for new series.

Here in the UK we also have 'christmas episodes' where you might have a show that comes back only on Christmas Day but never does new series. 'Only Fools and Horses' made this popular but 'The Royal Family' has copied this format too in recent years.

AbFab was a strange one, because Jennifer Saunders said in 1995 she would only do three series and she ended it in series three with the episode 'The End'. She then came back and did a two part episode a year later called 'The Last Shout'. Then in 2000 she wanted to write a new show called 'Mirrorball' with the same cast. She was offered a series for this, but chose to do another 'AbFab' instead in 2001. Basically, they have kept the show going because the cast love working together. Saunders could always get an AbFab series whenever she wanted, however the BBC have now become ridiculous with their commissioning structure and there is no longer a hierarchy for proven performers/shows. Artists like Saunders are treated no differently to newer talent. The BBC are also really strict with the budget allocation now and rarely fund shows (as they used to) that cost as much to produce as AbFab did. When Saunders approached the BBC to do a new series of AbFab in 2011 all they would offer her were 3 episodes, which were produced and shown over a prolonged period.

So the above are the reasons why you don't get so many new AbFab episodes these days. The BBC probably co-own the rights, so Saunders cannot independently produce nor find outside funding, which she would easily do from the likes of Comedy Central or even SKY. For new episodes she can only go to the BBC and if they do not refuse and walk away from the show (which they haven't yet) she is tied to only producing what they are willing to pay for.