Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress and singer. She is known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom Open All Hours (1976–1985) and its sequel, Still Open All Hours (2013–2016), Auntie Mabel in the award-winning children's series Come Outside (1993–1997), and the part of Linda Clarke in EastEnders in 2006 and from 2008 to 2009, with a brief return in 2016.
Early life
Lilian Ridgway was born on 24 March 1939 in Urmston, Lancashire. Her father, Cyril, was a painter and decorator. By the age of five, she was attending local ballet classes, and soon began appearing on stage.
Career
Television
Baron's early television roles included small parts in Crossroads (1978), Up Pompeii! (1970), Z-Cars (1971), and the British horror film Hands of the Ripper (1971). Baron appeared on television in BBC-3 (1965), a series in the vein of That Was the Week That Was, involving some of the same performers. In 1986, she acted in a party political broadcast for the SDP–Liberal Alliance. Baron also appeared in the 1987 Christmas special of The Two Ronnies and appeared in the BBC Two comedy series KYTV.
In the 1990s, Baron played Auntie Pat in five episodes of the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand (1992–1993). Baron then went on to star in the children's television series Come Outside (1993–1997) playing Auntie Mabel, an everyday woman living in a bungalow set in Denham, who flew around on various adventures in her spotted aeroplane with her dog Pippin, educating children on how things are created and where they come from by visiting various factories or farms and even looking at wildlife in zoos. She appeared regularly in the series from November 2008 to February 2009. On 8 April 2016, it was announced that Baron would return to EastEnders once again, alongside John Partridge, who portrayed her on-screen son Christian Clarke. She appeared on screen in May and June 2016.
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, which looked back at the early days of the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Baron portrayed actress Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples in the soap opera. Baron was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role.
On 26 December 2013, Baron reprised her role in a special one-off episode of Open All Hours on BBC One, entitled Still Open All Hours. It was watched by 12.23 million viewers, almost a 40% share in audience figures on Boxing Day. The following day, Baron took part in Open All Hours: A Celebration, a programme looking back on the sitcom. Following the success of the Christmas episode, the cast made a full series, which began on 26 December 2014, followed by a second series in December 2015. A third series began in December 2016, but Baron was unable to return because of other commitments.
In December 2016, Baron made a guest appearance in a Christmas special of Citizen Khan and, in January 2017, she appeared in an episode of Father Brown, which was to become her final television appearance. In 2007, she starred with Orlando Bloom and Tim Healy in a stage version of In Celebration. In May and June 2009, she appeared at the Menier Chocolate Factory in a production of Rookery Nook by Ben Travers.
From October 2010 to February 2011, Baron starred with Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd in a West End production of When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley. In March 2013, she appeared in a production of D.H. Lawrence's play The Daughter-in-Law at the Sheffield Crucible. She appeared as the Aunt in Stevie by Hugh Whitemore alongside Zoe Wanamaker and Chris Larkin at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester from April to May 2014. Baron again appeared in the play from March to April 2015 at the Hampstead Theatre.
Baron's other theatre credits include An Inspector Calls, Stepping Out, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and The Full Monty. In 1995, Baron voiced the character of Nanny Ogg in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the Discworld novel Wyrd Sisters. This same year she voiced the character of Angela Jefferies in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom titled England's Glory opposite Keith Barron. On 11 May 2012, Baron appeared in the Afternoon Play on BBC Radio 4, Mrs Lowry and Son, playing the mother of artist L. S. Lowry.
Personal life and death
In 1962, Baron married hairdresser and music impresario Cyril Smith, who performed under the name Carol London; they later divorced. In 1966, she married John M. Lee. The couple had two children and were married until his death in 2001.
Baron died on 5 March 2022 aged 82. The official Twitter accounts of CBeebies and EastEnders posted tributes to Baron.
A short tribute to Baron aired as part of The One Show on the evening of 7 March 2022.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1963 || The Small World of Sammy Lee || Yvette || || Nurse Gladys Emmanuel || Television film
|-
|1983 || Yentl || Peshe ||