Mollie Sugden became an international star playing Mrs Slocombe, the department store saleswoman with a socially superior attitude and a repertoire of double entendres, in the beloved sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972–1985). Before landing the role at age 50, she had already spent eight years in repertory theatre alongside performers including Eric Sykes and appeared in numerous television shows. Beyond Mrs Slocombe, she played memorable characters including Nellie Harvey in Coronation Street and Mrs Hutchinson in The Liver Birds, continuing to work in television, including a Little Britain sketch, well into her eighties.