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'Open All Hours' And 'Come Outside' Actress Lynda Baron Dies At Age 82

Donna French, her agent of nearly 30 years, has confirmed the news.

Actor Lynda Baron attends a memorial service for Ronnie Barker at Westminster Abbey on March 3, 2006 in London, England.

Actress Lynda Baron, best known for her role as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in BBC TV sitcom Open All Hours, has died at the age of 82. Baron's agent of nearly 30 years, Donna French confirmed the news via a statement, as per BBC: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved client Lynda Baron. She was a wonderful actress and a great friend. Her iconic roles of Nurse Gladys in Open All Hours and Aunt Mabel in Come Outside were loved by all generations. Renowned for her leading roles in West End musicals and dramatic productions alike, we have lost a leading light of our world. We extend our deepest condolences to her daughter Sarah, her son Morgan and all her family."



 

Fans of the actress who grew up in the 1990s perhaps best remember her as Auntie Mabel in Come Outside, which helped young children learn about the world around them. The series that ran from 1993 until 1997 featured Mabel and her mischievous pet dog Pippin, traveling in style in a small white airplane patterned with multicolored spots.



 

She is also remembered for her character as the long-suffering Nurse Gladys, who resisted the amorous attempts of shop owner Albert Arkwright, played by Ronnie Barker, in Roy Clarke's Open All Hours.



 

Baron previously told The Sunday Post in 2020 that although she loved playing Nurse Gladys and Auntie Mabel, she "couldn't name my favourite of the different characters I have played." She added, "Working with Ronnie Barker and David Jason was unbelievable - two great actors in a brilliantly scripted sitcom. There was never a day when we did not have a great laugh ourselves and that carried on when Still Open All Hours became a series." During her career, the actress also starred in Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt, EastEnders, Doctor Who, Last of the Summer Wine, and Dinner Ladies. Baron was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2011 for her role in The Road to Coronation Street.



 

The actress originally trained as a dancer, she told The Sunday Post, "I was with the Royal Academy of Dance so I must have been of some use. I went into rep then and learned so much about acting. It was hard work because you were constantly doing one drama, rehearsing the next one, and learning the lines of the one after that. It was a great education and I am so glad to have gone through that." She started her career at the age of 16 in panto at Liverpool Empire. "It was certainly a start and I have been quite busy ever since," she said. "You get your lulls in work and that makes you all the more grateful when the next job comes along and all the more determined to give it your best."