Dame Penelope Keith dies aged 86
Penelope Keith just died 😟😟 A real sitcom stalwart. The Good Life. To the Manor Born. RIP
RubinRubin 🌈10The most fantastic audio book performer! She was Agatha Raisin !!!
arthurnorman2.bsky.social9A very fine comedic actress who was well loved and highly respected
Alice Dryden6I made a sad noise out loud when I read this.
The Fluffy Monster5A star has just gone out… RIP
Danny Fearns4Grew up watching Penelope gracing the sitcoms. Very sad 😢
WepWaWep3Thank you PBS for airing these shows and so many more here in the US.
Margo's - Look of disappointment Look of disdain Look of despair (at not getting jokes) Look of detachment Penelope Keith was a brilliant comic actor.
Jim Whitlam8Look of pleased relief (after exchanging a paper hat made from the daily mirror for one made from the telegraph)
Kid Charlemagne5The not-quite-hidden delight when Tom or Jerry paid her a flirty compliment . . .
Captain Barfheart3The cast of the Good Life was quite possibly the greatest quartet ever to grace a sitcom.
Verity Imelda Player1<wails> "I'm an incomplete woman! I haven't got a sense of humour!" Genius!
Awww funny the famous deaths that "get" you. For Gen X and older Penelope Keith was really part of the fabric of things though. And maybe she represents a fading part of Middle England that clung on to at least the idea of decency and generosity as part of its identity? Just incredible actor also.
joemuggs.uk3It's one of those things that makes me wish I'd gone to the theatre more when that generation were in their prime. The ones who learned subtlety of gesture from doing TV but still grafted on stage could be so great. I saw Richard Briers do King Lear once, it was MIND BLOWING.
ericjanssen.bsky.social2Maybe her stage background reflects the Golden Age of BBC, when budget forced both comedy and historical drama to produce themselves like West End plays, before the Beeb discovered CGI effects and tried to be “American” shows?
Stevie D2She always came across as a really genuine and nice person, and far less stuck up and snobby than the characters she usually played! No scandals, no nasty words for anyone, nothing untoward – as you say, one of the last bastions of what we think Middle England *should* be.
Let’s salute the brilliance of Penelope Keith’s performance in The Good Life, without revisiting the “Unlike everyone else, I never liked Tom Good” discourse. Let’s try anyway. Please. RIP
Andy Miller90Penelope Keith, 10/10, no notes. RIP youtu.be/S-5Lp8v2t5A?...
Rob Manuel8My pet theory is streaming has broken people's understanding of what a sitcom is. It's a situation, a setup, that creates comedy, which resets after each episode. But coz people binge, they think it's a narrative arc, and thus, most classic sitcoms are telling the story of mental illness or abuse.
Dr Inigo Purcell4Can we also admire the full 70s glory of that outfit if it keeps us away from it?
Tree House Second-hand Bookshop3One of the great TV characters! She was fabulous.
Mart1Oh Margo. I adore that photograph. Wonderful Penelope Keith. I for one am not happy about the past receding like this. RIP.
Nigel Wallis1I haven't seen this series for many years but only have to hear the words "wind break" to laugh. And for those of you who haven't seen it, that's not referring to what you might think.
Oh this news has knocked me a bit. She always was one of my favourites. Couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve watched The Good Life and To the Manor Born. She always added a touch of class. #RIPPenelopeKeith
David G-P6To The Manor Born is such a comfort watch. And will be watched tonight
Andy Futter3Terrible news. Gutted. (Also: ten points for the Fauntleroy’s Old English Tonic reference) x
beeblePete1Absolutely end of an era. A mutated Britain has waited a long time to go Super Solonian and this really feels like the old picture moving aside.
