Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley is one of Britain's favourite actresses. Her break through role came as Purdy in The New Avengers. However it was Joanna's role as the chain-smoking Patsy in the award-winning Absolutely Fabulous which brought her renewed fame. Joanna is known for her support for Gurkhas, the exiled Tibetan people and government, the Kondha indigenous people of India, and the Prospect Burma charity which offers grants to Burmese students. In 2008 she became the public face of a campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. In the BBC special Girl Friday Joanna tried her hand at surviving on a desert island and wrote an accompanying book about her experiences. Recently Joanna has worked with Heatherwick Studios to develop plans for a new garden walking bridge across the Thames.