Joanna Lumley Marks 80th Birthday with New ITV Travel Adventure in Argentina
National treasure and beloved actress Joanna Lumley is reportedly filming her latest television travelogue for ITV as she prepares to celebrate a significant personal milestone. The Absolutely Fabulous star, who turns 80 this year, shows no signs of slowing down her extensive television work or her passion for global exploration.
Filming Underway in South American Capital
The 79-year-old actress is currently in Argentina, specifically in the capital city of Buenos Aires, where she has been spotted filming material for what will become her newest travel programme. According to eyewitness reports shared with The Sun, Lumley was seen in a local bar surrounded by various drinks while smoking cigarettes, creating an appearance reminiscent of her iconic Ab Fab character Patsy Stone.
"She was wearing a little leopard print, just to complete the Ab Fab look," an insider revealed. "But unlike Patsy she was an absolute delight and happily posed for pictures with fellow tourists who came across to say hello and ask for a selfie."
Continuing a Distinguished Travel Television Legacy
This new project represents the continuation of Lumley's impressive travel documentary career that began with Joanna Lumley's Nile in 2010. Since that initial programme, she has filmed approximately sixteen similar shows that have taken viewers to destinations including:
- India and the Caribbean
- Greece and Japan
- Various locations along the Silk Road
- The Trans-Siberian railway route
- Multiple European cities in her Great Cities series
Her most recent travel programme, Joanna Lumley's Danube, followed the famous European river through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The Argentina filming marks her first major travelogue project in South America, a continent she has not extensively covered in her previous television work.
Reflections on Age and Mortality
As she approaches her 80th birthday, Lumley has been open about her thoughts on aging and mortality. In a conversation with My Weekly last year, she shared that awareness of time passing actually energises her rather than diminishing her enthusiasm for life and work.
"As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, 'Gosh, there's not all that amount of time left'," she confessed. "All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave. My time must be coming quite soon and I don't want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet."
This philosophical approach to her later years appears to fuel her continued professional activity and adventurous spirit. With South America now being documented, speculation suggests she might aim to complete her continental collection by visiting Antarctica for what could become a special programme marking her 81st birthday next year.
The new ITV travelogue is expected to air around the time of Lumley's milestone 80th birthday celebration, continuing her six-decade television career that has made her one of Britain's most cherished television personalities and travel presenters.
