Lynda Baron

Actor who played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in Open All Hours and Auntie Mabel in the children's programme Come Outside.

Other revue work followed, including One Over the Eight (1961-62, Shakespeare Memorial theatre, transferring to the Duke of York’s) alongside Kenneth Williams (the writers included Harold Pinter, John Mortimer and Peter Cook) and by 1965 she was the regular chanteuse at the Talk of the Town, becoming its longest-running leading lady. In 1966 she married the jazz pianist and musical director John Lee; he died in 2001. Some years after Barker’s death, the show’s other star, David Jason, headlined a revival – Still Open All Hours (2013-16) – which led to a return for Baron’s skilful comedic creation. Mabel, piloting a polka dotted light aeroplane (a Slingsby T67 Firefly) and accompanied by her dog Pippin, would discover how various everyday things worked for the benefit of the young audience. Comedy was a common feature of Baron’s subsequent television career, opposite Bill Maynard in Oh No It’s Selwyn Froggitt (1977), with Harry H Corbett in Grundy (1980), in a recurring role in The Upper Hand (1992-93), and in episodes of Dinnerladies (1998), Goodnight Sweetheart (1999) and Citizen Khan (2016). In addition, she was good value as herself, guesting on many shows, including Blankety Blank (1983-87) and Countdown (2008). “There are millions of big ladies out there married to men who think they’re wonderful,” she said.