Fashion-mad PR guru Edina Monsoon and inebriated magazine editor Patsy Stone are to return to our screens in three new episodes of Absolutely Fabulous, the BBC has confirmed.

The award-winning comedy series will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year with three 30-minute specials picking up Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) in the present day. The other original cast members – Julia Sawalha as Saffy, June Whitfield as Edina's mother and Jane Horrocks as Bubble – will also reprise their roles.

In the first episode, fans will rejoin the ensemble in the midst of a life-changing experience for one – which affects them all, the BBC said.

In the second show, Edina sets her sights on changing the career of someone described as "a very big fish indeed".

In the concluding episode, Edina and Patsy play their own very special part in the London 2012 Olympics.

Saunders said: "It's great that we are able to celebrate our 20th birthday with all the original cast. Like a good bottle of champagne we hope we have got better with time without losing any of our sparkle.

"Last week, when we started filming in dear old west London, it was as if nothing had changed. It was raining. Nevertheless, we are so happy to be working for an audience that has grown just a tiny bit older like us, but is still willing to let us fall over on TV in the name of PR."

Jon Plowman, executive producer of BBC Comedy and original producer of the Absolutely Fabulous series, said: "Viewers have been fantastically loyal in their devotion to our show, so we're really thrilled to say that it's coming back."

The sitcom aired from 1992 to 2003, with specials in 2004 and 2005.