A heartbreaking confession she made just months before her death resurfaced as tributes to the Hyacinth Bucket icon pour.
Dame Patricia Routledge has died aged 96. The actress, best known for playing Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, opened up about the beloved sitcom just months before she died.
Earlier this year, Patricia discussed the show and the “great difference” it made to viewers, especially those going through challenging times in their lives. Speaking on a Channel 5 documentary celebrating 30 years since the comedy ended, she said: “There are people who can’t really get beyond Keeping Up Appearances if they think about me, but it did make a great difference, and I do get the most wonderful letters.
“I’m very grateful for that because you realise how important it is to have made people happy. I remember a wonderful letter some years ago from a little lady and she felt that the world had really come to an end.”
This woman, according to the actress, “made herself a cup of tea, sat down, and turned on the television set to play Keeping Up Appearances.” Then she said, “There you were.” It merely assisted me in surviving a very, very challenging time. It makes everything in its entirety worthwhile.
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Patricia also revealed that Keeping Up Appearances had earned praise from religious leaders and members of the Royal Family too. She said: “We were one of the Queen Mother’s favourite sitcoms, which was lovely, and the Queen enjoyed it too.”
She joked that “Hyacinth would have been flattered beyond words.” Hyacinth Bucket, the main character in Patricia’s film, was a snobbish social climber who was trying to get away from her working-class ways. The actress added that Hyacinth “jumped off the page” and knew that woman before she took the job.
The show ran for five seasons from 1990 to 1995. Patricia chose to end it when she was 77, reportedly leaving BBC execs extremely disappointed.
She continued, “I thought the writer was beginning to recycle old ideas. Also, remembering the great Ronnie Barker, he would always stop when he was at the height of his craft and would always leave with people who would say, “Oh, aren’t you doing any more?” Instead of asking, “Is that still on? “
I had other adventures to take part in, and that’s really where I wanted to go. I wanted to tell the stories of other people because I am an actress.
Patricia reprised her role as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest after the show ended as Hetty Wainthrop in Hetty Wainthrop Investigaqtes.
Source: Mirror
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