Gunmen in Haiti ambush Joanna Lumley

Tremendous!

I should have gone to Gabon.

Pats, I'm 102 years old.

73-year-old actress was

39!

I didn't know there was a new Joanna Lumley documentary out, I shall look forward to seeing it! I enjoy her as a host; my housemate and I just watched her trip down (up?) the Nile over the Easter weekend and it was delightful. Glad to hear she got out of this situation unhurt.

And that's why white people should not be anywhere near Haiti.

Haïti fascinates me, I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

I think Haiti deserves another earthquake.

So how did she get away?

The situation is dire there.

She should have brought Deb Messing with her. Isn't she revered as a goddess by the locals?

I read her autobiography a while back. She seems like a truly wonderful human being.

Gabon

Gabon

Gabon

[quote] Isn't she revered as a goddess by the locals?

Qui etait cette cunt?

R11 was that the book where she tells her life story through photographs, I think it was called "Absolutely Joanna Lumley" or similar? It was wonderful, she has lived a very interesting life, and I really like her attitude to living. I wish I could be less anxiety-ridden and more "just do it" like she is. She reminds me a lot of my grandmother in the way she is. I really admire her, and would recommend her autobiography to anyone. When you read about her upbringing, her trekking around the world without being prissy about it seems completely natural.

Stay out of shit- hole countries!

R15 Didn’t we hoo hah you know what in the 70s? I was a man then. Maybe you remember me know.

I've just watched this - or at least, I watched the second episode as the first had already been pulled from the streaming service I found it on. This was so unfortunate because the second episode was really enjoyable and I bet the first was too. The episode I saw was the Haiti section, and there is no mention of the ambush. Joanna doesn't even let on in her behaviour where it might have happened, she remains the gracious presenter throughout. Was so interesting, Haiti has suffered so much, and been treated so badly, it makes me really sad. I feel as a place it does have a lot to offer, if it could just get on its feet. The scenes with the street kids had me tearing up, especially when they went from looking so empty-eyed and despondent to these big grins at the realisation they would have a roof over their head and food. The art section was really interesting too.

And considering this is a gay site, it would be remiss of me not to mention Joanna's encounter with the Haitian surfers at one point. Well worth watching for that alone!

[quote]The gang eventually let them pass unhurt.

How were their tits?

Do you mean she actually enjoyed playing ping pong?

The French were the worse colonizers. The British really did it it best.

Who else read that in her voice?

The last one, travel docu, I saw was about Cuba. Can't wait.

Her group also faced some trouble when travelling through Russia by train. Officials saw the cameras and got extra confrontational for a minute or two.

Joanna seems lovely open minded person. She has done lots of travel shows, which are very good.

Popbitch has a rather sweet story about her where some volunteer for children in needs was on his way to some theater event with a bus load of kids and he accidentally bumped off one of the rear mirrors of Lumley's car. She just shrugged it off and said that she has the money to fix it and that he should go on and get those kids to the theater.

She said she wanted to know how the locals live. Maybe this will bring something out of her.

This is what the Clash used to sing about from neighboring Jamaica.

[quote]I went to the place where every white face is an invitation to robbery.

[quote]Now sitting here in my safe European home, I don't want to go back there no more ...

I suppose it's a case by case basis really, R20. I'm from an island where the British carried out a mass genocide of the native people. The French had got here first though, and were much friendlier in their interactions.

The spanish were the worst, raped, murdered, enslaved. The british more or less wanted nothing to do with the natives but they did kill them if they had to.

The better Joanna Lumley autobiography is "Stare Back and Smile." It was written a few years before she got the AbFab role.

...

She was 72 R4.

I guess due to the pandemic Joanna is doing a travel docu series about the UK which features her meeting the hot Scotsmen who got famous for doing their work-out routines while wearing kilts and then taking them off at the end. She's also going to Northern Ireland visiting the Derry Girls mural accompanied by Derry Girls' leading lady, Saoirse-Monica Jackson.

It's called Joanna Lumley's Home Sweet Home.

Oh beautiful! I love her travel documentaries, so it's always good news to hear she's been on the road again.

The Spanish gave their slaves some rights if they converted to Catholicism. The British in the US south hated it because their slaves ran away to Florida. Life as a slave was better there

So, O.K., like the Haitians need to come to America but some people are all, “What about the sprain on our resources?” And it’s like, when I had this garden party for my father’s birthday and it’s all catered, you know, I said “R.S.V.P.” because it’s a sit down dinner. O.K.? People come that like, didn’t R.S.V.P.! And I’m buggin’. I have to haul ass to the kitchen, re-distribute the food and like squish in extra place-settings and people are on mismatched chairs and all. But by the end of the day it was like “the more, the merrier”. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen and re-arrange some things we could certainly party with Haitians. And in conclusion, may I remind you that it doesn’t say “R.S.V.P.” on the Statue of Liberty.

Last week I watched Lumley's latest documentary, Home Sweet Home, as mentioned by R32. She's just such a lovely presence, it was very enjoyable. I miss the UK.

It’s crazy that anyone would travel to Haiti. People think they can travel to extremely dangerous areas and not be affected.

I'm always fascinated by parts of the world that are considered dangerous or even just weird, though I wouldn't book a trip there. I imagine those that do might have more of the "extreme sport" type gene in them?

They're angry because Joanna brought those pygmies to England and gave them citizenship but didn't do jack shit for others in desperate need.

Joanna did a wonderful job advocating for the Gurkhas. One person cannot advocate for every cause in the world, the fact she did so much on this alone means she's done more than most people. It's funny how people gripe that certain others should shoulder all the responsibility rather than getting up off their own asses and doing something themselves.

For all that she got famous for playing a shallow bitch, Lumley seems to be a lovely person in real life.

I caught an episode on late-night Free Pluto TV, where she and Jennifer Saunders went to France together... and for most of their on-camera time they seem a bit tiddled. Or cheerfully buzzed. They seemed to be having a lovely time, and got on like genuine friends having a few drinks. Perfect pandemic TV, like hanging out with the sort of people you wish you could hang out with in real life.

I saw that one too R41. Agreed, it was lovely watching.

It's the height of privilege to complain about being robbed in a developing nation.

Yes, R43, I'm sure that's what all the college kids who are afraid to leave the campus say.

Thank you all who mentioned Joanna’s documentary shows. I just watched Absolute Champers where she and Jennifer go to France. It was just lovely. Joanna would have been around 70 when it was filmed, and it’s amazing how fantastic she looks. Just a lovely person, and I love their friendship.

I’m going to start watching Home Sweet Home tomorrow.

There is something about Joanna's appreciative attitude and her smooth voice that makes her documentaries must-see entertainment for me. I mean, so many celebrities (including Miriam Margolyes) do travel or personal interest documentaries (like Miriam's docu about obesity in the UK), but they never really come close to what Joanna delivers.

And now even Stanley Tucci joined the bandwagon with his Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy show.

Thanks to you bitches, I've been watching Joanny Lumley travelogues on youtube all fucking day!

Perfect way to spend a sick day, really, she's such a lovely lady.

My housemate and I binged them during the covid lockdown here in my country. Such a wonderful way to forget about everything going on for awhile. She's so comforting without being twee. I've loved all the documentaries, the only one I haven't seen is the one where they show the things they filmed that never made it into the final series.

I've even watched a number of them twice through, they are that enjoyable.

I finished all the Home Sweet Home episodes. I just love the way she’s so enthusiastic and engaged with every person and location. I loved when she visited the B&B owned by the gays, and their dog, Patsy!

She's SO gracious! Enthusiastic about everything, kind and thoughtful to everyone, soft-spoken and ladylike even when camping in the desert or wading in crocodile-infested waters...

She's an antidote to everything you see on American TV, that's for damn sure.

The special with Jennifer makes me want to go to France and hang out with hot grape pickers.

She doesn't whinge when faced with difficulties, she just "gets on with it" and I think that stands her in good stead and makes her so enjoyable to "hang out" with in these documentaries.

Just finished watching her Unseen Stories series. So lovely as usual. She's very funny and self-deprecating too. And talk about gracious - she still doesn't mention anything about what happened to her in Haiti during that segment. Also, she just makes you appreciate things through her eyes. Like, I've never been into ballet, but the ballet school in Cuba made you sort of understand why people like it so much. Also, are all Cubans just naturally beautiful people?

Highly recommended, as all of her other series.