Lynda Baron
Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress, comedian and singer. She is best known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC comedy series "Open All Hours" (1976–1985) and its sequel, "Still Open All Hours" (2013–2016), Auntie Mabel in the award-winning children's series "Come Outside" (1993–1997), and the part of Linda Clarke in "EastEnders" in 2006 and from 2008 to 2009, with a brief return in 2016. Early life. Lilian Ridgway was born on 24 March 1939 in Urmston, Lancashire. Here father, Cyril, was a  painter and decorator. By the age of five, she was attending local ballet classes, and soon began appearing on stage. She attended Flixton Girls School in Urmston and then trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance. Early in her career, she appeared in repertory theatre and several West End venues. Career. Television. Baron's early television roles included small parts in "Crossroads" (1978), "Up Pompeii" (1970), "Z-Cars" (1971), and the British horror film "Hands of the Ripper" (1971). Baron appeared on television in "BBC-3" (1965), a series in the vein of "That Was the Week That  Was", involving some of the same performers. She also alternated with Annie Ross as the resident singer on "Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life" (1965). Baron was cast in the BBC science fiction series "Doctor Who" three times. She was heard as a singer in the 1966 serial "The Gunfighters". She appeared in front of the cameras as Captain Wrack in the 1983 serial "Enlightenment", and again in 2011 in "Closing Time" as Val. Baron is best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom "Open All Hours" with Ronnie Barker and David Jason  which ran for four series in 1976, 1981 to 1982 and in 1985, and was subsequently voted eighth in Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004. The script asked for a character "of ample proportions", although she was in fact a slim build at the time. They overcame this by padding her clothes. In the 1970s and 1980s, Baron co-starred in the ITV sitcom "Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt" and the BBC sitcom "A Roof Over My Head" with Brian Rix. She had a small part in "Minder", and played the middle-aged temptress Lily Bless'er in the "Last  of the Summer Wine" episode "Getting Sam Home". In 1986, she acted in a party political broadcast for the SDP–Liberal Alliance. Baron also appeared in the 1987 Christmas special of "The Two Ronnies" and appeared in the BBC Two comedy series "KYTV". In the 1990s, Baron played Auntie Pat in five episodes of the ITV sitcom "The Upper Hand" (1992–1993). Baron then went on to star in the children's television series "Come Outside" (1993–1997) playing Auntie Mabel, an everyday woman living in a bungalow set in Denham, who flew around on various adventures in her spotted aeroplane with  her dog Pippin, educating children on how things are created and where they come from by visiting various factories or farms and even looking at wildlife in zoos. In 1997, Baron played the minor part of Renee Turnbull in "Coronation Street" and took guest roles in "dinnerladies" (1998), "The Mrs Bradley Mysteries" (1998), "Sunburn" (1999), "Nancherrow" (1999) and "Goodnight Sweetheart" (1999). Baron continued to work regularly on television and the stage in the 2000s, with credits including "Fat Friends" (2000–2005), "The Bill" (2000), "Doctors" (2000, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2014), "Peak Practice" (2001), "Holby City" (2002 and 2006), "Down to  Earth" (2005), "Rome" (2005) and "Casualty" (2009). Baron briefly appeared in the BBC One soap opera "EastEnders" in 2006 as Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale, played by Laurie Brett. In September 2008, it was announced that Baron would be returning to "EastEnders". She appeared regularly in the series from November 2008 to February 2009. On 8 April 2016, it was announced that Baron would return to "EastEnders" once again, alongside John Partridge, who portrayed her on-screen son Christian Clarke. She appeared on screen in May and June 2016. In August 2010, Baron appeared in an episode of  Agatha Christie's Marple on ITV. In September 2010, Baron appeared in a one-off television drama, "The Road to Coronation Street" on BBC Four, which looked back at the early days of the British television soap opera "Coronation Street". Baron portrayed actress Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples in the soap opera. Baron was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. On 26 December 2013, Baron reprised her role in a special one-off episode of "Open All Hours" on BBC One, entitled "Still Open All Hours". It was watched by  12.23 million viewers, almost a 40% share in audience figures on Boxing Day. The following day, Baron took part in "Open All Hours: A Celebration", a programme looking back on the sitcom. Following the success of the Christmas episode, the cast made a full series, which began on 26 December 2014, followed by a second series in December 2015. A third series began in December 2016, but Baron was unable to return because of other commitments. In December 2016, Baron made a guest appearance in a Christmas special of "Citizen Khan" and, in January 2017, she appeared in an episode  of "Father Brown", which was to become her final television appearance. Film. Baron's film appearances include roles in "The Small World of Sammy Lee" (1963), "Hot Millions" (1968), "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1968), "Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?" (1969), "Tiffany Jones" (1973), and the Hammer film "Hands of the Ripper" (1971) as an ill-fated prostitute. She also appeared in the Barbra Streisand film "Yentl" (1983), "Carry On Columbus" (1992), "Colour Me Kubrick" (2005) and "Scoop" (2006) directed by Woody Allen. Stage. In 1987, Baron starred in the London  production of the musical "Follies" at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In 2007, she starred with Orlando Bloom and Tim Healy in a stage version of "In Celebration". In May and June 2009, she appeared at the Menier Chocolate Factory in a production of "Rookery Nook" by Ben Travers. From October 2010 to February 2011, Baron starred with Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd in a West End production of "When We Are Married" by J.B. Priestley. In March 2013, she appeared in a production of D.H. Lawrence's play "The Daughter-in-Law" at the Sheffield Crucible. She appeared at the Minerva  Theatre, Chichester from April to May 2014 in "Stevie" by Hugh Whitemore, alongside Zoe Wanamaker and Chris Larkin. Baron again appeared in the play from March to April 2015 at the Hampstead Theatre. Baron's other theatre credits include "An Inspector Calls", "Stepping Out", "Entertaining Mr Sloane", and "The Full Monty". Other work. In 1995, Baron voiced the character of Nanny Ogg in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the "Discworld" novel "Wyrd Sisters". In April 2012, Richard Kates released an album entitled "There's Something About You", which featured Baron performing the track "A Hard Man Is Good to  Find". On 11 May 2012, Baron appeared in the "Afternoon Play" on BBC Radio 4, "Mrs Lowry and Son", playing the mother of artist L.S. Lowry. Personal life and death. In 1962, Baron married hairdresser and music impresario Cyril Smith, who performed under the name Carol London; they later divorced. In 1966, she married John M. Lee. The couple had two children and were married until his death in 2001. Baron died on 5 March 2022 at the age of 82. Numerous actors paid tribute to Baron, including John Partridge, Lisa Riley, Sally Lindsay and Adil Ray. The official Twitter  accounts of CBeebies and "EastEnders" also posted tributes to Baron, and a short tribute to Baron aired as part of "The One Show" on the evening of 7 March.