Penelope Keith, actress best known for The Good Life and To The Manor Born, dies aged 86 after cancer battle

She was best known for her roles a snobbish suburbanite Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life, which launched in 1975, and the widowed aristocrat Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, which first aired in 1979.

A statement on behalf of her family said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years.

“The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”

Dame Penelope started her career on the stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 but became a household name for her work in sitcoms.

She won a Bafta in 1977 for playing Margo, the snobbish bullying social climber, but later reveals a heart of gold.

The Good Life followed couple Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal, who try to escape the rat race in their suburban house in Surbiton.

They try to become self-sufficient, turning their gardens into an allotment and introducing farmyard animals, much to the horror of their neighbours – Margo and her husband Jerry.

In the first episode, she was heard but not seen but her presence increased as the show went on.

In To The Manor Born, Dame Penelope’s character Audrey is forced to sell her vast country estate, Grantleigh Manor, after the death of her husband.

She moves into the estate’s modest lodge house but manages to keep her butler and Rolls-Royce.

From the lodge she can keep an eye on new owner and nouveau riche supermarket millionaire Richard DeVere, played by Peter Bowles.

The comedy star also appeared in sitcoms Executive Stress, No Job For A Lady and Next Of Kin, and won a Bafta for a TV adaptation of The Norman Conquests, in a role she reprised after a run on stage.

She also lent her voice to adverts, including Pimm’s, Lurpak, and most famously, the Parker Pen Company, which was named one of the 100 greatest adverts.

In recent years, she has returned more to the theatre, taking on roles such as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit and Lady Bracknell in The Importance Of Being Earnest.

She also turned her hand to factual programmes, including Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages, Penelope Keith’s Coastal Villages and Penelope Keith At Her Majesty’s Service.

She married policeman Rodney Timson in 1978 and the couple adopted two sons.

She was made a dame in 2014 for services to the arts and charity.

Felicity Kendal paid tribute to Dame Penelope, saying: “I am deeply saddened to hear of my friend Penelope’s death.

“The shows I worked on with her were such special times in our lives and demonstrated her comic genius.

“My heart goes out to her beloved Rodney at this time, theirs was a great love story and partnership. She was a joy to know and work with, and she will be much missed.”