Girl Friday is a 1994 BBC reality television special, starring Joanna Lumley in which she spends nine days on the desert island of Tsarabanjina near Madagascar.

Actress Joanna Lumley spends nine days on an uninhabited desert island, with just a basic survival kit.

"[4] At the time, Lumley had become a popular TV personality, with her portrayal of Patsy Stone in the BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous.

"[4] David Flusfeder found the programme "rather engaging", largely because of Lumley's role, describing her as "good company, in an Enid Blyton sort of way.

"[10] When the show was re-broadcast in 2008, Gabrielle Starkey gave it another positive review in The Times, writing that Lumley's "resourcefulness and cheer under trying circumstances came as something of a surprise, and made for must-see TV.

[6] Reviewing the book for The Sunday Times, Lucy Irvine thought "the text reads gracefully and contains some nice wit," with Lumley's honesty being "endearing".

[14] During an appearance at the 2018 Edinburgh TV Festival, Lumley described her time on Girl Friday as "the toughest thing I’ve ever done, and the happiest.

For this programme, which was also produced by Clive Tulloh, Wax spent 10 days on the uninhabited island of Ankerea, off the coast of Madagascar.

In an interview with The Times, Wax said: "The most useful thing I had from [Joanna Lumley] was a copy of her book — I didn't read it, I used it for killing bugs.

"[16] On 25 September 2024, it was announced that Phillip Schofield would return to television in the next installment of the programme, aired over three 60-minute episodes, which would begin later that month on the channel.