41-604: Comedy Playhouse is a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 128 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including Steptoe and Son , Meet the Wife , Till Death Us Do Part , All Gas and Gaiters , Up Pompeii! , Not in Front of the Children , Me Mammy , That's Your Funeral , The Liver Birds , Are You Being Served? and particularly Last of
82-435: A Comedy Playhouse sitcom pilot called Happy Ever After (1974). A few months later the first full series was broadcast, with a further four series until 1979. Later that year, they appeared together in the first series of Terry and June . The two sitcoms were very similar, the only main differences being a change of surname (from Fletcher to Medford), and a different house and family. Both had Scott and Whitfield as
123-487: A U-Matic video copy. In Australia the series was broadcast on ABC Television in the early 1960s-late 1970s. The series itself hasn't been released on home media, although some of the surviving episodes have been repeated on television or included on DVD boxsets as pilot episodes to their respective series. These include Steptoe and Son (The Offer) , Meet The Wife (The Bed) , All Gas and Gaiters (The Bishop Rides Again) , Up Pompeii! , Are You Being Served? , Last of
164-530: A Glance ... An Absolutely Fabulous Life , a collection of scrapbook pictures from her life and career. Whitfield appeared in the Doctor Who two-part episode, " The End of Time ", that aired over Christmas 2009 – New Year 2010. On 29 December 2009, she was the subject of an entire evening's tribute programming on BBC Two . In 2010, Whitfield was signed for a short appearance on ITV soap opera Coronation Street . Her character, May, appeared at
205-495: A Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Comedy Awards . In 1955, she married Timothy John Aitchison, who was working as a surveyor. The couple had a daughter, Suzy Aitchison , who became an actress. Timothy Aitchison died in 2001. Despite her success, Whitfield never wanted a lead role, stating that she lacked the drive and confidence. She attributed the premature deaths of several comedians to "the responsibility,
246-659: A character in an episode of the animated comedy series Rex the Runt . Her autobiography And June Whitfield , written with the help of Christopher Douglas , appeared in 2000. She appeared in The Royal , followed by appearances in Midsomer Murders , Agatha Christie's Marple , New Tricks and Last of the Summer Wine , which she joined in 2005. She had an episode of The South Bank Show devoted to her on 29 July 2007 and, in
287-501: A collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology . Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express. Many popular old-time radio programs were anthology series. On some series, such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries , the only constant was the host, who introduced and concluded each dramatic presentation. One of
328-796: A different story and a different set of characters in each different episode , season , segment, or short . These usually have a different cast in each episode, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse , employed a permanent troupe of character actors who would appear in a different drama each week. Some anthology series, such as Studio One , began on radio and then expanded to television. The word comes from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία ( anthología , "flower-gathering"), from ἀνθολογέω ( anthologéō , "I gather flowers"), from ἄνθος ( ánthos , "flower") + λέγω ( légō , "I gather, pick up, collect"), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος ( στέφανος ( stéphanos , "garland")) to describe
369-807: A guest appearance in the BBC soap EastEnders as a nun called Sister Ruth and returned to the show in January 2016 to complete a storyline. In October 2015, it was confirmed that she would reprise her role of Mother in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie which was released in July 2016. She made a guest appearance as God in the Sky 1 series You, Me and the Apocalypse , which was broadcast in November 2015. In 1982, Whitfield
410-674: A long television partnership, which peaked with roles as husband and wife in Happy Ever After (1974–1979) and Terry and June (1979–1987). From 1992 to 2016, Whitfield played Edina Monsoon's mother in Jennifer Saunders ' Absolutely Fabulous . She played a regular character in Last of the Summer Wine (2005–2010) and a recurring character in The Green Green Grass (2007–2009). From 1993 to 2001, Whitfield played Miss Marple in
451-554: A new type of anthology format in the U.S. Each season, rather than each episode, is a standalone story. Several actors have appeared in the various seasons, but playing different roles—in an echo of the Four Star Playhouse format. The success of American Horror Story has spawned other season-long anthologies such as American Crime Story and True Detective . Anthology film series are rare compared to their TV and radio counterparts. There have been several attempts within
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#1732868970126492-446: A suburban middle-class married couple. Terry and June ran for 65 episodes until 1987. Five years later, in 1992, Julian Clary created Terry and Julian , a Channel 4 sitcom which spoofed the title of Terry and June ; Whitfield made an appearance in one episode. During the eight-year run of Terry and June , Whitfield also appeared in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Minder . In
533-512: A weekly program from the second season until the end of its run in 1956. Ida Lupino was brought on board as the de facto fourth star, though unlike Powell, Boyer, and Niven, she owned no stock in the company. American television networks would sometimes run summer anthology series which consisted of unsold television pilots . Beginning in 1971, the long-run Masterpiece Theatre drama anthology series brought British productions to American television. In 2011, American Horror Story debuted
574-605: A working relationship with Terry Scott that lasted until 1987. During Scott On... she also appeared in The Best Things in Life , The Goodies , The Dick Emery Show , Bless This House and The Pallisers . She appeared in the spin-off film of Bless This House (1972), with Scott as her husband, and Carry On Abroad (also 1972), followed by an appearance in Carry On Girls (1973). Whitfield starred alongside Scott in
615-497: The Golden Age of Television of the 1950s with series such as The United States Steel Hour and The Philco Television Playhouse . Dick Powell came up with an idea for an anthology series, Four Star Playhouse , with a rotation of established stars every week, four stars in all. The stars would own the studio and the program, as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had done successfully with Desilu studio. Powell had intended for
656-569: The Second World War to Bognor Regis , where she attended St Michael's School, and then to Penzance in Cornwall . She moved with her parents to Huddersfield , where she learned shorthand and typing. She continued to study secretarial skills at Pitman's College, Brixton Hill . In 1944, Whitfield graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with a diploma. Whitfield began her career in
697-734: The radio dramatisation of all twelve of Agatha Christie 's Miss Marple novels on BBC Radio 4 . June Rosemary Whitfield was born at 44 Mount Ephraim Lane in Streatham , London , in 1925, to John Herbert Whitfield and his wife Bertha Georgina née Flett. Her father was the managing director of a company called Dictograph Telephones that had been founded by his father in Yorkshire , and both of her parents were keen amateur actors. She made her first stage appearance, aged three, after her mother enrolled her at Robinson's Dance Studio. Whitfield attended Streatham Hill High School , before being evacuated during
738-491: The "extraordinary grace" of Whitfield and said she would "hugely" miss her "dear friend". Julia Sawalha described her as a "great source of inspiration". Actress Jane Horrocks said her former co-star was a "wonderful lady", who was "versatile, funny and generous". Whitfield played Miss Marple in 12 BBC Radio 4 adaptations of novels by Agatha Christie . She reprised the role in 2015, starring in three adaptations of Miss Marple short stories (Tape-Measure Murder, The Case of
779-589: The 1940s working with Wilfred Pickles , and worked on stage in the West End and the regions. In 1951, she had her first credited television role in The Passing Show and joined the London cast of the musical South Pacific . Her big break came in 1953 when she replaced Joy Nichols in the successful Frank Muir and Denis Norden radio comedy Take It from Here , co-starring Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley . In
820-442: The 1970s and early 1980s, Whitfield appeared in a series of television advertisements, created for Birds Eye by advertising art director Vernon Howe, and featuring the concluding voice-over line: "it can make a dishonest woman of you!" In 1971, Whitfield and Frankie Howerd recorded a novelty comic version of the song " Je t'aime ", previously recorded by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg , in which she featured as "Mavis". She
861-479: The Summer Wine , which is the world's longest running sitcom, having run from January 1973 to August 2010. In all, 27 sitcoms started from a pilot in the Comedy Playhouse strand. In March 2014, it was announced that Comedy Playhouse would make a return that year with three new episodes. Two further series each comprising three episodes were broadcast in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The series began in 1961 at
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#1732868970126902-501: The Summer Wine (Of Funerals and Fish) and Happy Ever After . Clips from the series were also featured in the documentary Comedy Playhouse: Where It All Began , which was broadcast on BBC1 on 29 April 2014, which featured interviews with actors and writers who participated in the series, including Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, June Whitfield , Bernard Cribbins and Keith Barron . The BBC aired six comedy pilots in 1970 in Scotland only under
943-610: The earliest such programs was The Collier Hour , broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from 1927 to 1932. As radio's first major dramatic anthology, it adapted stories and serials from Collier's Weekly in a calculated move to increase subscriptions and compete with The Saturday Evening Post . Airing on the Wednesday prior to each week's distribution of the magazine, the program soon moved to Sundays in order to avoid spoilers with dramatizations of stories simultaneously appearing in
984-545: The funeral of Blanche Hunt and explained to Blanche's daughter, Deirdre , how her mother had died. In 2011, she played Margaret Rutherford in the BBC Radio 4 play A Monstrous Vitality , a radio adaption by Andy Merriman of his biography of Rutherford, A Dreadnought with Good Manners . She reprised her role of Mother in two episodes of Absolutely Fabulous at Christmas 2011 – New Year 2012, and for an Olympic special on 23 July 2012. In 2013, Whitfield became
1025-555: The horror genre to have a franchise with an anthology format, such as with the Halloween franchise where the third film, Halloween III: Season of the Witch , was meant to be the beginning of a series of anthology horror films, but due to negative reception that plan was shelved. Anthology video games have been very rare since the 1980s. June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield DBE (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018)
1066-675: The inaugural recipient of the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award, a recognition of her lifetime's contribution to the world of comedy. In 2014, she made a second appearance in Midsomer Murders , and appeared in Jonathan Creek . From 2014 to 2016 she appeared in the sitcom Boomers as the mother of Stephanie Beacham 's character. In 2015, she played Granny Wallon in a BBC One adaptation of Laurie Lee 's novel Cider with Rosie . In May 2015, Whitfield made
1107-716: The likes of Barry Took , Bernard McKenna , Bob Larbey , Brian Cooke , Carla Lane , Craig Cash , David Croft , Dick Clement , Dick Hills , Doug Naylor , Edwin Apps , George Evans, Graham Chapman , Harry Driver , Jack Docherty , Jack Rosenthal , Jeremy Lloyd , John Esmonde , John T. Chapman, Johnny Speight , Ian La Frenais , Ken Hoare, Kingsley Amis , Jilly Cooper , Marty Feldman , Michael Pertwee , Neil Shand , Pauline Devaney , Peter Jones , P.G. Wodehouse , Richard Harris , Ronald Chesney , Ronald Woolfe , Roy Clarke , Richard Waring , Sid Green and Vince Powell . The first eight series were made in black and white , with
1148-495: The magazine. Radio anthology series provided for science fiction , horror , suspense, and mystery genres (all produced in the US, unless noted): The final episode of Suspense was broadcast on September 30, 1962, a date that has traditionally been seen as marking the end of the old-time radio era. However, genre series produced since 1962 include: In the history of television, live anthology dramas were especially popular during
1189-646: The opening scene of " The Blood Donor " ( Hancock , 1961). June's daughter Suzy Aitchison would play the same role in the 2009 re-recording with Paul Merton portraying Tony Hancock. In 1959, she appeared in Carry On Nurse , the first of her four appearances in the Carry On film series . Whitfield gained her first starring role in the sitcom Beggar My Neighbour (1966), playing Rose Garvey. The year after Beggar My Neighbour finished in 1968, she appeared on Scott On... for six years until 1974. This started
1230-445: The portion of the show known as "The Glums" she played Eth, fiancée of the dim Ron Glum (played by Bentley). During the next fifteen years Whitfield had many supporting roles on television, including in Dixon of Dock Green , Arthur's Treasured Volumes , The Arthur Askey Show , Faces of Jim , The Benny Hill Show , Steptoe and Son and Frankie Howerd . She played the nurse in
1271-437: The program to feature himself, Charles Boyer , Joel McCrea , and Rosalind Russell . When Russell and McCrea backed out, David Niven came on board as the third star. The fourth star was initially a guest star. CBS liked the idea, and Four Star Playhouse made its debut in fall of 1952. It ran on alternate weeks only during the first season, alternating with Amos 'n' Andy . It was successful enough to be renewed and became
Comedy Playhouse - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-427: The prompting of Tom Sloan , Head of BBC Light Entertainment at the time. Galton and Simpson were no longer writing for Tony Hancock and Sloan asked them to write ten one-offs with the hope that one might become established as a series. Thus, the first two series of Comedy Playhouse were written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson , but from the third series onwards, the episodes were written by various writers including
1353-447: The rest from Up Pompeii! onwards being in colour. Like many television programmes from the time, many of 1960s & 1970s episodes are lost . As a result, 95 episodes are currently missing from the archives, although audio recordings from the soundtracks of 15 missing episodes have been recovered, short extracts survive from Till Death Us Do Part and Thank You Sir, Thank You Madam , and a further episode The Melting Pot survives as
1394-574: The rest of the Absolutely Fabulous cast in the pilot Mirrorball . From 1993 to 2001, she played Miss Marple in 12 radio adaptations of Agatha Christie 's Miss Marple books. From 1990, she appeared in films including Carry On Columbus (1992), Jude (1996) and Faeries (1999, as the voice of Mrs Coombs). In 1998, Whitfield played the housekeeper in the London-set episode of Friends " The One with Ross's Wedding, Part Two " and voiced
1435-624: The same year, appeared in the English National Opera 's production of On the Town in London's West End . In November 2007, she appeared in the Only Fools and Horses spin-off The Green Green Grass as the mother of Marlene , and in 2008 she appeared in an episode of ITV medical drama Harley Street . In 2009, she made a guest appearance in Kingdom and published an updated autobiography, At
1476-652: The stress and strain" of carrying their shows. In her autobiography, she described her own life as "full of love, affection and laughter, of gigs, gags and a couple of gongs". In December 2017, Whitfield said that she was living in a care home. She died in London on 29 December 2018, aged 93. Her funeral was held at All Hallows Church in Tillington , near Petworth in West Sussex, on 18 January 2019, attended by many of her co-stars and personal friends. Fellow Absolutely Fabulous actress Jennifer Saunders paid tribute to
1517-506: The title Scottish Comedy Playhouse , none of which developed onto a full series. While these were being aired, Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast in the rest of the UK. All episodes from this series were wiped soon after transmission and are currently missing from the archives. The episodes are as follows: Anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio , television , film , or video game series that presents
1558-668: Was an English radio, television and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy Take It from Here , which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. Television roles soon followed, including appearances with Tony Hancock throughout his television career. In 1966, Whitfield played the leading role in the television sitcom Beggar My Neighbour , which ran for three series. She also appeared in four Carry On films: Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Abroad (1972), Carry On Girls (1973) and Carry On Columbus (1992). In 1968, Whitfield and Terry Scott began
1599-718: Was known for her impression of the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . During the 1980s and 1990s, she made several stage appearances, including in a revival of An Ideal Husband and the pantomime Babes in the Wood . In 1985, she sang a duet with Ian Charleson of the Irving Berlin song " You're Just in Love " in A Royal Night of One Hundred Stars . Having appeared in an episode of French and Saunders in 1988, Whitfield played Mother in Jennifer Saunders ' sitcom Absolutely Fabulous from 1992 until 2012. In 2000, she featured with
1640-558: Was made a Freeman of the City of London . Whitfield was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1985 Birthday Honours , Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1998 Birthday Honours , and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama and entertainment. In 1994, Whitfield was given
1681-591: Was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions: in April 1976, when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at her home in Wimbledon; and in March 1995, when Michael Aspel surprised her at BBC Television Centre . During the 1980s, Whitfield returned to radio comedy. From 1984, she could be heard with Roy Hudd on the satire programme The News Huddlines , which finished in 2001. On it she often used impersonations and