MPT Online | Afternoon Tea

Britcom Divas From A To Z

You can read about Britcom's ultimate Diva, Patricia Routledge, elsewhere in this issue, but here's a run down of other talented ladies deserving of the title.

Chloe Annett. Took over from CP (Clare) Grogan when the role of Kochanski was expanded in the seventh season of Red Dwarf. She also appeared in the series Crime Travelers.

Mina Anwar. Fans of The Thin Blue Line may remember her as the feisty but sexy Police Constable Habib, who constantly had to fend off the advances of Constable Goody.

Connie Booth

Connie Booth. Appeared with the Pythons, married and divorced a Python, then co-wrote and co-starred in one of the greatest sitcoms ever: Fawlty Towers. She's American, but still made a pretty convincing Brit as Polly, the maid who (sometimes) helped keep Basil out of trouble with his wife Sybil.

Eleanor Bron. One of the first female members of the Cambridge University Footlights Club that spawned a whole generation of comedy talent. She proved herself during the 60s to be extremely adept at writing performing sketch comedy, often teamed with John Bird. She kept The Beatles out of trouble as Princess Ahmed in Help! and had a riotous cameo as Patsy's hippy mother in Absolutely Fabulous.

Patsy Bryne. Lots of fun as the dingy Nursie/Bernard in Blackadder 2.

Carol Cleveland. It couldn't have been easy playing second fiddle to the Pythons, but she managed to make her mark. Who can forget the classic..."But it's my only line!" or how she lured unsuspecting milkman Michael Palin into her lair.

Stephanie Cole

Stephanie Cole. A role model for aging divas as Diana Trent in Waiting For God.

Kirsten Cooke. Helped the French resistance as Michelle ("I will say this only once") in the popular Croft/Lloyd sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!

Judy Cornwell. "Our Daisy." Her desperate attempts to get her husband Onslow to pay attention to her on Keeping Up Appearances are priceless.

Wendy Craig. As Ria Parkinson in Butterflies, she created a memorable portrait of a woman going through a mid-life crisis.

Annette Crosbie. Absolute perfection as Margaret Meldrew, who puts up with cantankerous husband Victor on One Foot in the Grave.

Frances de la Tour. Very touching and funny as the love-starved Miss Jones, the object of Rigsby's desire in Rising Damp.

Judi Dench

Judi Dench. That's Dame Judi to the rest of us. Winner of almost every award in sight, including the Oscar and the Tony, she is truly one of the most gifted actresses of this or any other generation.

Helen Fielding. Novelist who created two best selling books about the life and times of insecure diva wannabe Bridget Jones.

Dawn French. She's played murderers, vicars, and everything in between.

CP (Clare) Grogan. Former singer for the Scottish band Altered Images who went on to star as the love of Lister's life Kochanski for the first six series of Red Dwarf. Last seen hosting a show on the British VH1.

Hattie Hayridge. Sorely underrated comic actress who took over from Norman Lovett as the braniac computer Holly on Red Dwarf. Also a talented stand-up comedian.

Pippa Haywood. Put up with Chris Barrie as Mrs. Gordon Brittas on The Brittas Empire.

Julia Hills. Talented actress who was memorable as Rona in 2 Point 4 Children and kept her husband, son, and father-in-law in line as Beryl Hook in Dad.

Jane Horrocks. Best known as the ditzy Bubble on AbFab, she displayed incredible range as a mimic in the critically acclaimed movie Little Voice.

Hattie Jacques. Star of the bawdy Carry On series who was once married to Dad's Army star John LeMesurier.

Caroline Lee Johnson. The only woman who could stand up to and control master cook Gareth Blackstock was his wife, as played with dignity and intelligence by Caroline Lee Johnson in the series Chef!

Penelope Keith

Penelope Keith. One of the true reigning queens of British situation comedy. Excelled at playing haughty snootbuckets (or, if you prefer, snoot-bouquets) in The Good Life and To The Manor Born.

Felicity Kendal. Star of The Good Life, Solo, and numerous stage productions. A good sport, she can be seen getting slathered with paint by Jennifer Saunders in Series Five of French and Saunders.

Carla Lane. Creator and writer of the classic Britcoms Bread, Butterflies and The Liver Birds, among others. Her sitcoms are not everyone's cuppa, but she has done some terrific work and pushed herself to try new things.

Belinda Lang. Starred as Bill Porter in 2 Point 4 Children.

Josie Lawrence. Extraordinarily talented comedian, actress, and singer seen improvising on the Brit version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Joanna Lumley. Not normally known for being a laugh riot, this former star of the New Avengers showed that she can be absolutely hysterical as Patsy Stone on Absolutely Fabulous.

Mary Millar

Mary Millar. The vibrant "Our Rose" from Keeping Up Appearances. Always the fiancée, never the bride. Sadly, she is the first one of the KUA cast to pass away, succumbing to cancer in 1999.

Caroline Quentin. The ex-wife of comedian Paul Merton, Quentin is terrific as Dorothy on the Brit version of Men Behaving Badly and also on the comedy/mystery Jonathan Creek.

Wendy Richard

Wendy Richard. Next to Mrs. Slocombe she might be considered only a diva-in-training, but Richard still manages to get plenty of digs in as Miss Brahms on Are You Being Served? Also proved she could do drama with a role on the long-running soap East Enders.

Miranda Richardson. Respected for her dramatic talent in such films as The Crying Game and Tom and Viv, Richardson made an indelible comic impression as the spoiled Queen in Blackadder 2. Also did a terrific guest shot as a neurotic new mother on AbFab. One of those rare talents who is equally at home doing comedy or drama.

Jennifer Saunders. She was the creative force behind Absolutely Fabulous, the Saunders half of French and Saunders, and even took the time to have three children and appear in a couple of episodes of Friends. One very talented lady.

Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales. She's done an enormous amount of wonderful work, but the power of her Divaness can be summed up in one word: BASIL! One of the few women who could match John Cleese line for line.

Carmen Silvera. Helped keep Café Rene running smoothly and sang badly as Edith Artois in 'Allo 'Allo!

Joan Sims. Once part of the Carry On team, she can also be seen as Madge (Geoffrey Palmer's step-mother) in As Time Goes By.

Kathy Staff

Kathy Staff. The object of Compo's affection as Nora Batty in Last of the Summer Wine.

Pamela Stephenson. The blonde from Not The Nine O'Clock News who snagged a long-time companion in fellow comic Billy Connolly. She appeared for one season as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, but sadly, her talents seem to remain unexplored to a large extent.

Julia St. John. Tried hard to keep the Whitbury Leisure Centre running despite her crazy boss Gordon in The Brittas Empire.

Mollie Sugden

Mollie Sugden. Next to Hyacinth, probably British comedy's favorite Diva. Displays massive amounts of attitude and hair as Mrs. Slocombe on Are You Being Served? And I am unanimous in that.

Emma Thompson. Survived a critically slammed sketch comedy series called Emma to become an Academy Award winning actress and writer. If you haven't, check out her terrific performance with Jeff Goldblum and Rowan Atkinson in the film The Tall Guy.

Harriet Thorpe. Valuable second banana who was the receptionist Carole on Brittas Empire and as Patsy's coworker Fleur on AbFab.

Tracey Ullman. Multi-talented performer who's also put out some wonderful pop records and got Paul McCartney to appear in a video with her. Ullman began as one of the Three of a Kind team with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield, and before heading off to seek fame and fortune in America she appeared with French and Saunders in the series Girls on Top. Her HBO series Tracey Takes On... has won her numerous awards.

W-Y

Julie Walters. Engaging actress and sometime sidekick to the great Victoria Wood. She was terrific as "sexual entrepreneur" Cynthia Paine in Terry Jones' film Personal Services and stole the heart of Michael Caine in Educating Rita.

Ruby Wax. A brash, loud, hysterically funny American who has made her career and home in the UK. She worked with French, Saunders and Tracey Ullman in Girls on Top, has hosted numerous chat shows (including one shown on the Lifetime Network for a short while) and served as script editor on AbFab.

June Whitfield. From her work with Terry Scott to Edina's lovably spacey Mom on AbFab, she's a national treasure.

Barbara Windsor. The sparkling Cockney bombshell from the Carry On series.

Victoria Wood. Award winning writer, performer, and creator of some sketch gems as Acorn Antiques. Her one woman appearances consistently sell out and she's also published several books including Barmy and It's Up To You, Porky!

Pauline Yates. She was outstanding as the long suffering wife of Leonard Rossiter in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

The Insider | June 2000