Dame Patricia Routledge, the actress best known for playing Hyacinth Bucket in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances has died at the age of 96.
Born in 1929 in Tranmere, Routledge started acting while at the University of Liverpool where she wasd an active member of the dramatic society.
On graduating she trained Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before returned to Liverpool to start her professional career at the Liverpool Playhouse.
She went on to star in numerous plays in London’s West End and Broadway, winning a Tony Award for her role in Darling of the Day and an Olivier Award for Candide.
While her main passion was for theatre acting, she found fame on the small screen, first in Keeping Up Appearances, for which she was nominated for two BAFTAs, and then for Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
She was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for her services to entertainment and charity.
13. Patricia Routledge on...the BBC
"We were betrayed by the BBC. We finished series four of Hetty Wainthropp, we were told there was going to be series five. But no word ever came - how rude! The BBC is run by 10-year-old children." | Getty Images