Josephine Tewson

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Josephine Ann Tewson (26 February 1931 – 18 August 2022) was an English actress, known for her roles in British television sitcoms and comedies. She portrayed Edna Hawkins ("Mrs H") on Shelley (1979–1982), Jane Travers in Clarence (1988), and Miss Lucinda Davenport in Last of the Summer Wine (2003–2010). She portrayed the frequently put-upon neighbour Elizabeth "Liz" Warden in Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995). Tewson's professional career lasted more than 65 years, from 1952 until her retirement in 2019.

Early life and education

Tewson, an only child, was born on her father's twenty seventh birthday in Hampstead, London, on 26 February 1931.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father, William (1904–1965) was a professional musician and played the double bass in the BBC Symphony Orchestra;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> her mother, Kate (née Morley, 1908–1999), was a nurse and the daughter of footballer Haydn Morley, who captained The Wednesday in the 1890 FA Cup Final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After grammar school, Tewson studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> from which she graduated in 1952.<ref>"Student and Graduate Profiles: Josephine Tewson" Template:Webarchive. rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2016.</ref>

Early career

Tewson began acting on the London stage in the 1950s and remained active in theatre productions throughout her professional career. She appeared on television during the 1960s with semi-regular appearances on shows like Z-Cars, The Dick Emery Show, and The Charlie Drake Show. She was a regular comedy performer in sketches on David Frost on Sunday and Hark at Barker (1969–1970).

She later appeared in Mostly Monkhouse, a BBC Radio comedy with David Jason and Bob Monkhouse. During the 1970s she had significant roles in comedy sitcoms including Six Dates with Barker, Coppers End (1971), and 1977's Odd Man Out with John Inman playing her half-sibling. She co-starred in No Appointment Necessary with Roy Kinnear; the tapes of which have been lost or destroyed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tewson played Edna Hawkins (usually referred to as "Mrs H" by Shelley) in the first six series of the British sitcom Shelley (1979–82).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later, she played Jane Travers in Ronnie Barker's last starring television role before his retirement, the sitcom Clarence (1988), which he wrote.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She appeared as two characters in the 1984 children's film Gabrielle and the Doodleman, as Gabrielle's father's housekeeper Mrs. Briggs, and as the Fairy Godmother.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Tewson was rumoured to be Inman's cousin though she denied this in several interviews.<ref>Shaw, Karen. "Tonight Josephine", Northern Life. Last modified 27 September 2012. Accessed 28 March 2013. Template:Webarchive</ref>

Later career

Tewson's most prominent role was as Elizabeth "Liz" Warden, neighbour and reluctant confidante of social wannabe Hyacinth Bucket in the comedy series Keeping Up Appearances, written by Roy Clarke. She appeared semi-regularly as Miss Davenport in Last of the Summer Wine (2003–2010), a series also written by Clarke.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She appeared in two episodes of the documentary series Comedy Connections, talking about her work in Keeping Up Appearances (2004) and opposite The Two Ronnies (2005).Template:Citation needed In 2009, she played Iris in the radio drama Leaves in Autumn written by Susan Casanove, produced by the Wireless Theatre Company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other television appearances included an episode of Heartbeat ("Closing The Book", 2002), and as competition judge Samantha Johnstone in the mystery drama Midsomer Murders ("Judgement Day", 2000). She appeared in two episodes of Doctors as kleptomaniac Audrey Wilson ("Now You See It...", 2009), and as Marjorie Page, a woman in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease ("The Bespectacled Bounder", 2012). Tewson played a school teacher in a Sugar Puffs "I Want My Honey" advert during the late 1980s/early 1990s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Just after the end of Keeping Up Appearances, she played a nanny in a 30-second commercial for Nabisco Fruit Newtons, widely aired in 1997 in the United States.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2012 Tewson launched her one-woman show, Still Keeping Up Appearances?, and toured the UK until her retirement in early 2019.<ref>Roberts, Jo (11 March 2015)."Josephine Tewson of TV's Keeping Up Appearances launches one-woman show" Template:Webarchive. KentOnline. Retrieved 8 February 2016.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life and death

Tewson married actor Leonard Rossiter in 1958. They divorced in 1961.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She married dental surgeon Henry Newman in 1972. Newman died in 1980.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tewson died at Denville Hall, a retirement home in London for actors and other entertainment professionals, on 18 August 2022, aged 91.<ref name="obit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

<ref name="filmography">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Year Title Role Notes
1972 The Troublesome Double Mrs Wentworth
1977 The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It Miss Hoskins
1978 The Hound of the Baskervilles Nun
1984 Gabrielle and the Doodleman Mrs Briggs/Fairy Godmother
1989 Wilt Miss Leuchars
2000 The Mumbo Jumbo Miss Hodges

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Preview Joan Garnett Episode: "Marriage Bureau"
Charlesworth Mrs. Furse Episode: "Long Hot Spell"
1963 ITV Play of the Week Barmaid Episode: "Double Stakes"
No Hiding Place Mavis Peters Episode: "Four Faces of Clare"
First Night Mrs Tullet Episode: "The Initiation"
1963-1968 Z-Cars Various 3 episodes
1964 No Hiding Place June Merrall Episode: "The Things Money Can Buy"
1965 The Sullavan Brothers WPC Episode: "The Outsider"
Emergency Ward 10 Mrs. Close 5 episodes
1966 Sergeant Cork Martha St. Clair Episode: "The Case of the Devil's Daughter"
1967 Emergency Ward 10 Dr. Saunders Episode: "Devil Doll"
Mrs Thursday Dulcie Ainsworth citation CitationClass=web

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1968 The Charlie Drake Show Various 6 episodes
Frost on Sunday Various 14 episodes
1969 The Champions Hotel switchboard operator Episode: "The Night People"
1969–1970 Hark at Barker Mildred Bates All 15 episodes
1969–1979 The Dick Emery Show Various 15 episodes
1970 ITV Saturday Night Theatre Gladys Episode: "Suffer Little Children"
1971 Six Dates with Barker Travers Episode: "1937: The Removals Person"
Copper's End WPS Penny Pringle 13 episodes
1971–1981 The Two Ronnies Various 5 episodes
1972 His Lordship Entertains Mildred Bates All 7 episodes
1973 Comedy Playhouse Lady Cynthia Episode: "Elementary My Dear Watson"
Whoops Baghdad! Fatima Episode: "The Wazir Takes a Wife"
It's Tarbuck Various 6 episodes
Son of the Bride Miss McDowdie All 6 episodes
Casanova '73 Mrs Kershaw Episode: #1.3
Tell Tarby Various 6 episodes
1974 Thriller Yvonne Episode: "A Coffin for the Bride "
1975 Tarbuck and All That! Various 5 episodes
Wodehouse Playhouse Mabel Potts Episode: "Rodney Fails to Qualify"
Dawson's Weekly Cleoberry Episode: "Stage-Struck"
Larry Grayson Various 2 episodes
1976 Happy Ever After Mrs Robins Episode: "Mistaken Identikit"
Lucky Feller Shirley Episode: "Where There's Life There's Soap"
1977 Whodunnit? Miss Frisby Episode: "No Happy Returns"
No Appointment Necessary Penelope Marshall All 7 episodes
Odd Man Out Dorothy Sutcliffe
1979 Rings on Their Fingers Mrs Harris Episode: "Home Market"
1979–1984 Shelley Edna Hawkins 23 episodes
1983-1985 Terry and June Brenda/Mrs. Robins 2 episodes
1983 Tears Before Bedtime Beatrice Episode: "Show Me the Way to Leave Home"
1985 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Various TV film
1987 Rude Health Mrs Thorpe 8 episodes
1988 Clarence Jane Travers All 6 episodes
1990–1995 Keeping Up Appearances Elizabeth "Liz" Warden 43 episodes
1994 Coronation Street Peggy Phillips 2 episodes
1999 Sunburn Louise Montague Episode: #1.1
2000 Midsomer Murders Samantha Johnstone Episode: "Judgement Day"
2002 Heartbeat Mrs Morris Episode: "Closing the Book"
2003–2010 Last of the Summer Wine Miss Lucinda Davenport 62 episodes
2006 Holby City Mabel Phillips Episode: "Looking After Number One"
2009-2015 Doctors Various 3 episodes
2012 Lewis Hazel O'Brien Episode: "The Indelible Stain"

Theatre roles

<ref name="filmography" />

Year Production Role Venue
1957 Free as Air Ivy Crush Savoy Theatre, West End
1961 Androcles and the Lion Megaera Mermaid Theatre, London
1964 Coriolanus Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
1966 The Ballad of False Barman Hampstead Theatre, London
1968 The Real Inspector Hound Mrs. Drudge Vaudeville Theatre, West End
1972 A Cuckoo in the Nest Thorndike Theatre
1976 Absurd Person Singular Wimbledon Theatre, London
1985 Noises Off Dotty Otley Savoy Theatre, West End
1986–87 Woman in Mind Muriel Vaudeville Theatre, West End
? Moscow Shadows Natasha New End Theatre, Hampstead
See How They Run Miss Skillon Watermill Theatre, Newbury
1989 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Jeanette Fisher Strand Theatre, West End
1994 Arsenic and Old Lace Abby Brewster Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and tour
1995 The Killing of Sister George Mercy Croft Ambassadors Theatre, West End
? The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell Horseshoe Theatre, Basingstoke
Talking Heads: A Lady of Letters Swan Theatre, Worcester
1998 Romeo and Juliet Nurse Salisbury Playhouse, Wiltshire and tour
2002 A Woman of No Importance Lady Hunstanton No. 1 Tour
2004 The Importance of Being Earnest Miss Prism
2008 Salonika Charlotte West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
2009 Separate Tables Lady Matheson Chichester Festival Theatre

Radio

<ref name="filmography" />

Year Title Role Company
1971, 1973 The Secret Life of Kenneth Williams Maisie BBC Radio
Early 1970s Mostly Monkhouse Various
July 1981 It Sticks Out Half a Mile Miss Baines
1994 Uncle Dynamite Lady Bostock
2009 Leaves in Autumn Iris Wireless Theatre Company

References

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