Omnia sunt Communia Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Actress Mollie Sugden has died at the age of 86, her agent has said. The TV star, best known for playing Mrs Slocombe in long-running BBC sitcom Are You Being Served?, died at the Royal Surrey Hospital after a long illness. The Yorkshire-born actress's twin sons, Robin and Simon Moore, were at her bedside, agent Joan Reddin said. David Croft, one of the writers of Are You Being Served?, remembered her as a "marvellous character" who would never turn down chances to make people laugh. "She would never refuse any sort of comedy situation no matter how undignified it was she would always go along with it. She was marvellously funny," he said. 'Lovely person' Actor Frank Thornton, who played Captain Peacock in the sitcom, told the BBC she was part of a very happy team. "We all enjoyed each other's company, which, if you're doing comedy, is rather necessary," he said. "You can't play comedy with people you dislike. Mollie, of course, was an excellent comedian." Ms Reddin, who began representing Sugden in the 1960s, said the actress had become a "very close friend". "She had had a long illness and various problems but it was very quick in the end. Her twin boys were with her and she faded away. "She was a lovely, lovely person and I never had any trouble with her. She was a great professional." Sugden, who lived in Surrey, was married to fellow actor William Moore. But she never fully recovered from his death nine years ago, Ms Reddin said. "They were very much in love. She started to go down when he died." TV break Born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in 1922, Sugden attended the local grammar school before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She went on to serve a long apprenticeship in repertory theatre before television gave her a taste of fame - and it was while treading the boards in 1956 that she met her husband. Mollie Sugden Sugden starred alongside Wendy Richard in Are You Being Served? They married two years later, when she was 35 and he was 39. Their twin sons were born six years later. Sugden found early TV success with comedy series Hugh and I in 1962 and in Coronation Street as the gossiping Nellie Harvey. But it was The Liver Birds in the late 1960s and early 1970s that enabled her to make her first real impact, as Nerys Hughes' snobbish mother Mrs Hutchinson. And then in 1972 came Are You Being Served? and the role she became best known for - the blue-rinsed Betty Slocombe, with her affectation of middle-class gentility and her outrageous use of the double-entendre. Sugden went on to have her own slot on consumer programme That's Life and even found new fame in the US where re-runs of Are You Being Served? transformed both Sugden and co-star John Inman into cult figures in the early 1990s. Source I use to watch Are You Being Served? as a child, and I it really saddens me to see her pass. First David Carradine then Farah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, who's next? I don't like this recent spate of celebrity deaths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaking Bohan Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 What a loss! RIP Ms Sugden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeperRed Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 What the hell is going on, grim reaper got something in for the celebraties these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Tequeli Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 These are to be expected though, past 80 anything can happen really. Karl Malden died today but he was 97 so nobody was really stunned, I suppose the same could be said about Ed Macmahon. I only vaguely remember this show, but I did watch it a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr0xy_fl00d3r Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 RIP, I used to watch Are you being served? too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro-neko Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Could you please change the title, I couldn't help but laugh at this poor woman's death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omnia sunt Communia Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 Could you please change the title, I couldn't help but laugh at this poor woman's death. I think it would be better to have one last laugh at Mollie Sugden before it's too late. I mean, isn't that what you would of wanted if you dedicated your life to comedy? Not too mention the fact that the woman was famous for her anecdotes about "my pussy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I think we should make a thread called The Official GTAF Celebrirty Death Thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thosebout2rock Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I think we should make a thread called The Official GTAF Celebrirty Death Thread. At this rate that would be a good idea. R.I.P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA3Freak-2001 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 It's sad to hear as Are You Being Served was a classic British comedy and she made quite a contribution to many of the jokes, while she may be gone the show will remain a classic. Didn't John Inman who played Mr Humphries die last year as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sananoutlaw Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 watched a bit of 'are you being served' myself when I was young, & my parents loved it. R.I.P mollie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunk Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Didn't John Inman who played Mr Humphries die last year as well? He did indeed. Are You Being Served? was a funny show, she was good in it. R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike752 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 These are to be expected though, past 80 anything can happen really. Karl Malden died today but he was 97 so nobody was really stunned, I suppose the same could be said about Ed Macmahon. I only vaguely remember this show, but I did watch it a long time ago. True, but it is kinda odd that all of them died within about a two week span. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaa11 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 it seems death swaped out his sniper rifle for a mini gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamman Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 These are to be expected though, past 80 anything can happen really. Karl Malden died today but he was 97 so nobody was really stunned, I suppose the same could be said about Ed Macmahon. I only vaguely remember this show, but I did watch it a long time ago. True, but it is kinda odd that all of them died within about a two week span. On local morning radio, it does bring up the Dead Pool ( a Clint Eastwood movie as well) where celebs who are presumed to die are listed and bet on, but in their case, I don't think money exchanges hands, they just do it for fun, if you can CALL it that. Someone suggested a GTAF Dead Pool, see who guesses the most dead celebs within a year or 6 monthy time frame, and GUESSES CORRECTLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxidizer Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 One, what the hell are all these celebrities drinking? And two, I ain't heard of any of them till they popped their clogs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzzybones Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 this sh*t is starting to be like the twilight zone. R.i.p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamman Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 One, what the hell are all these celebrities drinking? And two, I ain't heard of any of them till they popped their clogs! Huh? Your joke about a tub filled with ice cubes and used condoms (don't ask), was MUCH much more amusing to read.... What happened?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Was she the one that used to have different hair every episode? She lived long enough. R.I.P. but I don't really care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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