The Dame Edna Treatment - Episode 2 Review

Call me old-fashioned, Possums, but I think the idea of a man getting dressed up in women's clothing is a little bit yukky! I'm sorry, but I do...

But I have to admit that the sight of Martin Sheen dressed up as Dame Edna at the start of the second show was hilarious! Little Marty was in for a bit of a rough ride, but he enjoyed every minute of Dame Edna's gentle probing!

In the second episode of her ground-breaking new series for ITV, "The Dame Edna Treatment", Edna fans around the country watched as she cared and shared (as well as offering a spa treatment of lymphatic drainage) to her celebrity guests including Martin Sheen, Fergie (from the Black Eyed Beans, or was that Peas?), Tracey Emin, and Ronnie Corbett.

Marty was brilliant on the sofa, so to speak. I loved the discussion of his name, when Dame Edna suggested that "Martin Sheen" was a good choice for a stage/screen name, as it was easier to say than "Martin Non-Abrasive-Cleaner". Fabulous! As they were chatting later about his work in "Apocalypse Now", she mused that it seemed odd for them to name a film using a word most Americans couldn't pronounce. The audience, of course, roared with laughter!

Dame Edna introduced her next guest, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas as both a pop star and a vegetable (not unlike Ozzy Ozbourne). She was a fantastic guest - bright, talented and game for a laugh. When chatting about reincarnation, she asked Edna if she'd like to come back as a man...Edna replied that "..we all have men inside us from time to time...". Classic Dame Edna - brilliant!!!


The next guest, was the polar opposite to Fergie in that she wasn't bright, talented or game for a laugh. In fact, Tracey Emin's presence on the show seemed to be, as Dame Edna would say, "a little bit unnecessary...a little uncalled for..." Here's hoping the producers don't repeat that kind of mistake in future episodes!

But aside from that, the show was fabulous! The final picture of Ronnie Corbett coming on stage having been rescued from the gates of Spa Edna by Valmai's powertools, was priceless. If you missed this great episode on Saturday night, be sure to catch it tonight at 23:00 on ITV1!

All hail, Dame Edna, the queen of Saturday night TV! Long may her reign continue!

And if you'd like to add your comments about the show to the show's official message board, check it out here. Or drop us a note via our website here . Until next time, Possums, bye-bye! Bye-bye!

The Dame Edna Treatment - A Truly Gorgeous Opening!

Good news, Possums!

I've just found the wonderful intro clip for The Dame Edna Treatment on YouTube. With a fantastic new song by Robin Gibb, and some gorgeous graphics truly befitting a global entertainment phenomenon like Dame Edna, it's a brilliant opening (now, don't twist my words!). Great lyrics and hilarious images of Dame Edna - enjoy!!!

The Dame Edna Treatment - Episode 1 Review

Hello Possums!

You lucky darlings! This past weekend, you witnessed the return of our favourite housewife/gigastar Dame Edna Everage to TV screens across the UK in her new ITV series "The Dame Edna Treatment".


And what a fabulous return it was! From the minute the opening credits began, it was a triumph! With music from the Gibb brothers, and a riot of colourful graphics depicting Dame Edna at her celebrity treatment facility, it was clear that ITV had spent some serious money on the return of the world's most famous international phenomenon, healer, and guru!


The set looked fantastic, and aided by her troubled daughter Valmai (brilliantly played in the Madge Allsop deadpan style!), Dame Edna was ready to "Care and Share" and offer a number "treatments" to her guest stars. Patrick Stewart, for example, was offered treatment in Edna's state of the art "radical follicle resuscitation unit" at the start of the show, and Nancy Del'Olio came for colonic irrigation in the "Niagara Suite".

Dame Edna's razor sharp wit and wisdom were evident from the start, with some brilliant lines and timely pearls of wisdom. She told viewers during her opening chat not to call in to the show: "No phone calls! I'm rich enough already!" - a fabulously barbed poke at the audience call-in rip-offs recently in the news. The gags continued to flow, and when introducing a sour and troubled Valmai, she explained that Valmai was "electronically tagged - one on each ankle - so we always know how far apart they are". Brilliant!

The spa set was gorgeous, with the audience hilariously all in robes - their treatment obviously
consisting of a healing hour in the company of Dame Edna. Of course, she protects the privacy of her clients carefully, as they are among the most famous and powerful in the world - but we then witnessed the Queen entering the spa, apparently to have some "work" done to make her look more like Helen Mirren! Hilarious! (I'm quite sure the Queen was played by the well known Jeanette Charles, who does the same kind of work Simon does as a celebrity lookalike and impersonator.)

With all of this going for it, I was expecting the show to be flawless. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love every minute, the guests joining Dame Edna at her spa really weren't up to the challenge.

Poor old Sigourney Weaver, the gorgeous little minx, was slightly perplexed during her interview with Dame Edna, although she was a good sport! In her inimitable style, Dame Edna observed that actresses of a certain age "find their parts starting to dry up". What could poor little Sig say to that?

The other two guests were, to my mind, a total disappointment (call me old-fashioned but they were...I'm sorry, but they were!), and not up to Dame Edna's level of fabulousness: Mischa Barton ("Who?", you ask), a young actress who was somewhat dazed and confused throughout; and Michael Bolton, who Dame Edna announced has this year had 9 hits...on his website! Thankfully Dame Edna was able to probe a little and bring a smile to our faces despite Mr Bolton's slightly clueless and serious demeanor.

A fabulous show like this needs truly huge guest stars who are bright enough to play along! I'm praying that the producers realise this quicksticks and provide our megastar with some guest stars befitting the occasion - how about Liza Minnelli, Omar Shariff, Joan Collins, Twiggy, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless, so fingers crossed we see some gorgeous names in the weeks to come.

But despite this small complaint, the show was a breath of fresh air for Saturday nights, and for the next 7 weeks, a truly must-see event! What more could we want at the end of a busy week that a little TLE - Tender Loving Edna! Our favourite gigastar has returned to a grateful public, and we are thrilled, thrilled, thrilled!

Be sure to check out the new Dame Edna ITV website and probe all it's nooks and crannies, Possums! And don't forget to pick up this week's issue of Radio Times too - there is a fabulous article about Dame Edna and Barry Humphries. Our Australian megastar is the talk of the town!

Drop me a line to let me know how you liked the show! Until next week, Possums, bye-bye!

"The Dame Edna Treatment" Unveiled

Hello, Possums!

You little darlings! You must be a-quiver with excitement! The British press were awash today with news of the highly anticipated return of Dame Edna to TV screens across the country with "The Dame Edna Treatment".

The cover of The Daily Mail's "Weekend" magazine is adorned by Australia's First Lady and most popular international phenomenon, and the cover story features Dame Edna and news of the new show. In it she discusses her enduring popularity, her family and high-powered friends, as well as a number of secret treatments at her spa, including a beauty range that's made with wombat spleen (apparently the wombats don't need them!) and an organic coffee enema. Isn't that gorgeous?


Run out now and buy a copy of the Mail, Possums - if they're not already sold out! Or perhaps if you have a New Zealand bridesmaid, you could send her out to get one for you....they're good for that kind of thing!

The Sun also featured an article and picture of Dame Edna with some Edna-ettes, perhaps on the set of this glittering new show. Check it out on the web here! No doubt as the week progresses, there will be countless articles and pictures - aren't we lucky?

And so it begins - Dame Edna's triumphant return to British entertainment! Goodness knows after months of Jade Goody, we need a gorgeous glimpse of glamour, Dame Edna style. After fifty years in entertainment, she's happy to tell us that all her juices are flowing and she's at the pinnacle of her powers - so the time is right to be invited into her inner sanctum once again!

Dame Edna's Road to Glory

The road to fame and fortune, for a mere non-entity such as you, dear reader (and I mean that nicely!), is often a rocky one. If you are the world's most talented woman and international phenomenon, however, that road is naturally smooth and nothing short of meteoric. And if you happen to be Dame Edna Everage - housewife/gigastar - you'll find they will change the name of that road in your honour!

So it is in Melbourne, Possums, where Lord Mayor John So officially opened the newly renamed Dame Edna Place to mark the contribution our favourite gigastar has made to putting his city on the map. For although she has risen to unparalleled heights, she still remembers her roots and is still "Edna from the block", despite the blindingly beautiful bling!

To celebrate the official renaming of Dame Edna Place yesterday, the city gathered together 10 Dame Edna lookalikes (none of them a patch on Simon, of course!) to unveil the new street. I'm not sure Dame Edna would have approved, quite frankly, as she has always found the idea of men dressing in women's clothes just a little bit yukky!

I suspect that Dame Edna was unable to be there in person as she is currently preparing for her long awaited new ITV series, "The Dame Edna Treatment" . We've been very excited to learn that the show will hit the airways on 17th March at 9:40 PM. The country will be so grateful!!!

We've shared some of the guests who are rumoured to join Dame Edna in her exclusive health spa in earlier blogs, and we understand the list has grown to include Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Engelbert Humperdinck. Won't that be gorgeous! No doubt these busy stars will be grateful to enter Dame Edna's inner sanctum for some much needed R 'n R. Unfortunately, they may not get any, as we understand that Dame Edna's disappointing daughter Valmai will be on hand, as will Sir Les Patterson. Oh, dear!

So mark your calendar for 17th March, Possums! When the show goes to air, be sure to let us know how you're enjoying it, and how having Dame Edna in your life again is making you a better person (of course!). I expect that having her on our screens this spring will be the highlight of your year - I know it will be for me.