Mollie Sugden

Mary Isobel Sugden, better known as the English comedy actress, Mollie Sugden who played Mrs
Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? has died at the age of 86 at the Royal Surrey
Hospital in Guildford, her agent has confirmed.

Born in Yorkshire, she was most famous for for playing Mrs Slocombe from 1972 to 1985, during which
time Are You Being Served? was one of the most watched shows on UK TV. She reprised the role for
Grace & Favour (called Are You Being Served? Again! in the US), which ran during 1992 and 1993. She
had also had roles in UK TV shows Coronation Street as the gossiping Nellie Harvey and as Mrs
Hutchinson who was Nerys Hughes' snobbish mother in The Liver Birds.

One of the writers of Are You Being Served?, David Croft remembered her as a "marvellous character"
and she would never turn down chances to make people laugh. "She would never refuse any sort of
comedy situation no matter how undignified it was she would always go along with it. She was
marvellously funny," he said.

Early in her career she appeared in Benny Hill, Just Jimmy, Z-Cars, Up Pompeii!, The Goodies,
Steptoe and Son and Jackanory. In 1973, she appeared on watchdog program That's Life! for 23 weeks.

Her agent, Ms Reddin, who began representing Sugden back in the 1960s, said the actress had become a
"very close friend. She had had a long illness and various problems but it was very quick in the
end. Her twin boys were with her and she faded away. She was a lovely, lovely person and I never had
any trouble with her. She was a great professional."

She is survived by her twin sons Robin and Simon, who were at her bedside and several grandchildren.