Lynda Baron

Lynda Baron
Born	24 March 1939 (1939-03-24) Urmston, Lancashire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1963–present
Spouse	John M. Lee (1966–?)

Lynda Baron (born 24 March 1939) is a BAFTA-nominated English stage, film and television actress, perhaps best known for playing the extremely busty Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the object of Arkwright's affection, in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours. And more recently as, Ag Penrose in the BBC soap opera, Doctors.

Early life and career

Lynda Baron was born in Urmston, Greater Manchester and originally trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance.

Early in her career she appeared in repertory theatre and several West End revues. Her early television roles included small parts in Crossroads (1964), Up Pompeii (1970), Z Cars (1971), and the British horror film Hands of the Ripper (1971). Baron appeared on television in BBC Three (1965), a series in the vein of That Was The Week That Was, involving some of the same performers. She also alternated with Annie Ross as the resident singer on Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1965). Baron has taken part in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who three times. She was heard as a singer in the 1966 serial The Gunfighters, appeared in front of the cameras as Captain Wrack in the 1983 serial Enlightenment, and again in 2011 in Closing Time as a character named Val.

However, Baron is best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emanuel in the popular BBC comedy series Open All Hours alongside Ronnie Barker and David Jason. The show ran for four series in 1976, 1981 to 1982 and 1985, and was subsequently voted eighth in Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004. Also in the 1970s and 1980s, Baron co-starred in the ITV sitcom Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! and the forgotten BBC sitcom A Roof Over My Head. She had small parts in Minder and Last of the Summer Wine. Baron also appeared in the 1987 Christmas special of The Two Ronnies. In 1987 Baron starred in the London production of the musical Follies at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Baron then went on to appear in the BBC Two comedy series KYTV.

In the 1990s Baron played Auntie Pat in five episodes of the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand (1992–93). She also appeared in the film Carry On Columbus in 1992. Baron then went on to star in the children's television series Come Outside (1994). In that series she played Auntie Mabel, an everyday woman living in a bungalow, set in Denham. She flies round on various adventures in her spotted aeroplane with her dog Pippin. In 1995 Lynda Baron voiced the character of Nanny Ogg in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel Wyrd Sisters. In 1997 Baron played Renee Turnball in Coronation Street and took guest roles in Dinnerladies (1998), The Mrs Bradley Mysteries (1998), Sunburn (1999), Nancherrow (1999), and Goodnight Sweetheart (1999).

Baron has continued to work on TV and the stage, with recent credits including Fat Friends (2000–2005), The Bill (2000), Doctors (2000, 2006 and 2010), Peak Practice (2001), Holby City (2002 and 2006), Down to Earth (2005), Rome (2005) and Casualty (2009). In 2005 Baron appeared in the film Colour Me Kubrick opposite John Malkovich and in 2007 starred in a stage version of In Celebration, opposite Orlando Bloom and Tim Healy. Baron briefly appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2006 as Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale. In September 2008 it was announced that Baron would be returning to EastEnders as Linda Clarke. She appeared regularly in the series from November 2008 to February 2009. In May and June 2009 Baron toured the UK in a production of Rookery Nook, a play by Ben Travers.

Lynda Baron's other theatre credits include An Inspector Calls, Stepping Out, Entertaining Mr Sloane and The Full Monty.

Recent career

In August 2010, Baron appeared in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple on ITV.

In September 2010, Baron appeared in a one-off television drama The Road to Coronation Street on BBC Four, about the early days of the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Baron played the actress Violet Carson who played Ena Sharples in the soap. Baron was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role.

From October 2010 to February 2011, Baron starred alongside Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd in a West End production of When We Are Married by J B Priestley.

In December 2010, she appeared in the soap opera, Doctors playing battleaxe Ag Penrose, the aunt of regular character Rob Hollins (Chris Walker). She returned to the show in December 2011.

Television roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Doctor Who	Singer	"The Gunfighters" Unseen character
1976 to 1985	Open All Hours	Nurse Gladys Emanuel
1977	Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!	Vera Parkinson
1983	Last of the Summer Wine Getting Sam Home	Lilly Bless Her
1983	Doctor Who	Captain Wrack	"Enlightenment"
1992 to 1993	The Upper Hand	Aunty Pat
1993 to 1997	Come Outside	Auntie Mabel	Starring role
1997	Coronation Street	Renee
2006	Come Outside	Auntie Mabel
2006 2008 to 2009	EastEnders	Linda Clarke
2010	The Road to Coronation Street	Violet Carson
2010/2011	Agatha Christie's Marple	Mrs Coppins (one episode only)	Episode "The Pale Horse"
2010/2011	Doctors	Ag Penrose
2011	Doctor Who	Val	Episode "Closing Time"

External links

• Lynda Baron at the Internet Movie Database