LONDON (Reuters) – British actress Mollie Sugden, best-known for her role as Mrs Slocombe in the television comedy series "Are You Being Served?," has died at the age of 86.
Her agent Joan Reddin told newspapers Sugden died on Wednesday after a long illness. "She was a lovely, lovely person. She was a great professional," Reddin said.
With her hair highly coiffed and referring frequently to her "pussy," Sugden played the bossy Mrs Slocombe throughout the run of the BBC's innuendo-laden Are You Being Served? between 1972 and 1985.
I love
Are You Being Served? I used to watch reruns on PBS when I was a kid and my mother used to tell me that Mister Humphries (first photo below) was supposed to be gay, and I had no idea what she was talking about, even though on every episode there would be some sort of fashion show and he would dress up as a fairy and flit around the department store. I also didn't really get Mrs Slocombe's constant "pussy" references.
Anyway, Simone and I have discussed how Mrs Slocombe would make a great Hallloween costume, which we should probably do. First Bea Arthur, and now this! Who is going to replace these people! No one!
PS: Speaking of high camp/the recently departed, it's too bad there's not really going to be a showing of Michael Jackson's body at Neverland. If I were in Southern California, I would totally go. It would be a landmark moment in pop culture. Also I have this Michael Jackson half shirt from the 80's I could hawk for like $10,000.
