Right - after an hour of explaining salient details to my lovely seeester that don’t seem to have got over the Atlantic, I thought I should write a little primer for those who might be confused about what they might be hearing about this kerfuffle over late night television in the US (if they’ve heard anything at all), or who aren’t quite sure what the full picture is. Basically, I just find the whole thing fascinating, and have been following it avidly, so I might as well pass on what I’ve learnt, since I shouldn’t thinkanyone would want to pay me for the primer… (I’ll put it under a more jump, though, so those - like my little mother, hello! - who couldn’t give a toss can ignore it easier - honestly, I will start doing things like this on...

'Truth is such a rare thing, it is delighted to tell it.'So said Emily Dickinson and it is a truth I must delight in telling you that I need another fountain pen about as much as I need another book, which is to say I can't have too many of them, nor can I have too much of the ink to accompany. It's another truth that were I to hand write this blog for the next twenty years I would still have ink to spare, but there is something strangely comforting about the sight of a bottle of ink. Is it about nostalgia over that Quinky mess you used to get into at school with those Osmiroid dip pens with a sort of well behind the nib which was supposed to stash enough ink for a sentence? It would always blob out the whole lot suddenly, earning a terrifying 'Please see me' in red on your exercise...

There is a long standing debate as to whether woman are funny both as performers and writers. And the answer is yes. /debate. But why is this in my mind? Well I've recently been submitting to Newsjack and am very pleased some of my material has got through to the recording stage even though it didn't make the edit for the broadcast show...yet. Newsjack has an open door submission policy and is a great initiative by the BBC to bring on new writers. Three episodes in and if you look at the contributors list so far you will see it is overwhelmingly men. I certainly don't think it is a conscious decision by the producers and editors - far from it. Having had the pleasure of BBC comedy workshops and knowing in this accessible age of e-mail they soak up material sent to them and who sent it...

You’re rather brought down by the sad passing of the Queen of the Purple, Pink, Auburn, Green and Blue Rinse – and not by the “King of Pop”. Mollie Sugden’s Mrs Slocombe was a magnificent comic creation, always fighting her corner in Grace Brothers with a mixture of her usual assumed haughty grandeur and cutting asides in her real accent, and always vying with John Inman to steal the show in Are You Being Served? “Before we go any further, Mr Rumbold, Miss Brahms and I would like to complain about the state of our drawers. They’re a positive disgrace.”“Your what, Mrs Slocombe?”“Our drawers. They’re sticking. It’s always the same in damp weather – Miss Brahms could hardly shift hers at all this morning. They sent up a man who put beeswax on them, but that...

Best known for her portrayal of Mrs Slocombe in Are You Being Served?, Mollie Sugden's comic talent lives on in these YouTube clipsThe death of Mollie Sugden at 86 after a long illness will sadden everyone of a certain age who remembers her 1970s blue-rinsed prime. As game as they come, memorable and talented, Sugden was a much-loved part of the TV landscape for decades. Best remembered as Mrs Slocombe in Are You Being Served?, she lives on through the medium of streaming video. Take heed, modern comic actors, and watch a master at work. The Erotic Dreams of Mrs SlocombeIn this Are You Being Served? classic, Mrs. Slocombe has dreams in which she and Mr Humphries, played by John Inman, enjoy romantic trysts. "I can't think what's come over her," says the confirmed bachelor. I'm not...

Are You Being Served was one of the quintessential British comedies, being part sitcom, part music hall and a lot of double entendre. The cast was wonderful and the script really quite forward looking (in a now backward kind of way). So it is with great sadness that I heard of the death of Mollie Sugden, the comic actress best known for her role as Mrs Slocombe in the 1970s series. She is obviously held in great regard around the world as she has since become one of the largest trending topics on Twitter, with even Jonathan Ross adding his tweets to get the tag  #MrsSlocombesPussy (kicked off by, erm, yours truly at the suggestion of Lucy Tweeting) to the top of the Twitter tree. Mrs Slocombe joins Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard) at the great sales counter in the sky. Rest in Peace,...

Mollie Sugden has died at the age of 86, says BBC News.There is a good interview with her on Teltronic:As most fans of the series will know, Mrs Slocombe was always deeply concerned for the welfare of her pussy. The writers got a lot of mileage out of this and it became something of a standing joke. In fact, there was even a book published a couple of years ago entitled Mrs Slocombe's Pussy.One assumes that there was no Mr Slocombe to care for the feline. "Well it was certainly true that you never knew at one time what had happened to her husband. You always had the feeling he'd just gone...

I was saddened tonight to hear of the death of that classic comedy actress Mollie Sugden (Christened Mary Isobel Sugden). She was just short of her 87th birthday and had had a career spanning several decades. She was undoubtedly best known for her hilarious portrayal of Mrs Slocombe in the sitcom “Are You Being Served?” in which she was renowned for her double entendres about her pussy. She also appeared in the Liver Birds and Coronation Street, as well as variety of other roles. Mollie Sugden was a comedy great for whom I have very fond memories.  ...

Mrs Slocombe has passed away, there has been no news regarding the whereabouts of her pussy. Famous for her time in Are You Being Served? she has been one of those television characters that you just can't help but love!Not since Her Majesty, the Queen Mother passed away will a lady be so very much missed by us all.Farewell Mollie, you shan't be forgot!This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist...

Following the sad news of Mollie Sugdon's death I've just been having a surreal exchange of Tweets with Eric Joyce the MP for Falkirk over Twitter. So for Caron and others here is the catch up of Mrs Slocombe inspired thinking and Tweeting.Obviously we all know that Miss Brahams (Wendy Richard) had also passed away in February this year, if not I'm sorry to have broken the news to you. So...

Mollie Sugden, best known for playing Mrs Slocombe in Are You Being Served? has died after a long illness, her agent has...

Mrs Slocombe has gone to join Miss Brahms. No word on her pussy....

Yes Captain Peacock.....At our clinic, you are more important than a VIP, so I guess we should call you the MIP (Most Important Person.)We serve you well and if you are not satisfied, you can tell the staff or (in case you are back home) our service employees. Because even if the treatment is finished, we will still want to take very good care of you.It makes no difference if you have purple hair like Mrs Slocombe, have a gap between your teeth and want to keep it (like Mr Humphries) or have a much younger partner (like the young Mr Grace): we will treat you all equally!...

The British reputation for dour seriousness is as ill-deserved as the never-true image of everyone wearing bowler hats and reading The Times newspaper. Our sitcoms from the early days of TV through to the 1980s were, it’s true, cosy middle-class affairs–Terry and June being perhaps the prime example, safe and unchallenging although even in the old days there were shows like Dad’s Army that were set in times not normally associated with anything funny. ‘Allo ‘Allo was, in being set during World War Two, the brasher and more daring successor to the Dad’s Army stories of an incompetent Home Guard. The amusing stories of the French Resistance were hugely popular throughout the 1980s, a decade which saw new comics appearing on...

(Story) animal rights, are you being served, celebrity wedding, comedy, fake news, funny, gossip, humor, humour, india, liz hurley, mrs slocombe, satire, satirical, satirical...