Wendy Richard Tributes
- 00:03:12
- ITN
Wendy Richard Tributes
Actress Wendy Richard has lost her battle with cancer. The former EastEnder died in the Harley Street Clinic in London with her husband John Burns by her side. She was 65. Her agent Kevin Francis said: "She was incredibly brave and retained her sense of humour right to the end." Richard starred in EastEnders for more than 20 years but became a household name before that in department store sitcom Are You Being Served?. Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, paid tribute to Richard following a service to remember former managing director of television Sir Bill Cotton. He said: "Wendy Richard is going to be incredibly missed by the BBC and by our audiences," adding that she lit up livingrooms for so many British families and she was like a member of the family. Mr Thompson said that was a wonderful achievement. Minder star Shane Ritchie, who worked alongside Richard on EastEnders playing Alfie Moon until 2005, said he was, "absolutely devastated" by news of her death. And presenter Dale Winton had known Richard for many years. He said: "I knew her as a family friend first since I was a little boy and worked with her many times. "I'm very saddened to hear the news, she was a real fighter and actually a very kind and funny lady in her own right. My thoughts are with her family, she will be missed." Comedian Ronnie Corbett said Richard's work would remain as a lasting tribute to her. "What a career she had, from even before Are You Being Served?," he said, adding: "I'm very sorry to hear she's gone." Sir Terry Wogan said the star would be remembered as one of the greats of British television. "In the 60s and 70s, she was the queen of the sitcom and I'm sorry to hear she's gone." Maureen Lipman added: "She seemed like a really feisty woman. "I'm very sorry. She was a very familiar face on our TV screens and too young to go." Chris Tarrant said the death was "awful news". Richard endured two battles with breast cancer in the mid-1990s and then in 2002. The cancer went into remission after years of treatment, but last year it was discovered that the disease had returned in an aggressive form, attacking her kidneys, bones and spine. Last October, she disclosed in a newspaper interview that the cancer was terminal and that she was dying. Richard was born Wendy Emerton on July 20 1943. She was educated at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, Herts, and then at the Italia Conti Academy stage school in London. She first became familiar to TV audiences playing Joyce Harker, a regular in the BBC's 1960s soap The Newcomers. She also had roles in Dad's Army, Up Pompeii! and The Likely Lads. Richard also appeared in Carry On films, alongside Barbara Windsor, who also, ultimately, became an EastEnders star. But she became famous in the 1970s sitcom Are You Being Served?. She played Cockney shop assistant Shirley Brahms, a role she reprised in the sequel, Grace And Favour, in 1992 and 1993. She joined EastEnders as matriarch Pauline Fowler when the programme began in 1985 and remained in it until 2006, when her character died. The reason she gave for her departure was an objection to certain parts of the storyline. At one stage, Richard was reportedly given a script which included a vicious tirade against Margaret Thatcher. She refused to perform this sequence, accusing the scriptwriters of using the series as a soapbox for their political opinions. In late 2006, she was a guest presenter on the BBC's City Hospital series and the following year she presented the documentary A Tribute To John Inman, a fellow actor in Are You Being Served?. Early last year, she landed the role of Mrs Crump in the episode A Pocket Full Of Rye of the Miss Marple series. Richard was awarded the MBE for services to television in 2000 and in 2007 she was awarded a British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement for her role in EastEnders. All her first three marriages ended in divorce. She lived with her partner of 12 years, John Burns and the two married on October 10 last year.
ITN | February 26, 2009
