Barbara Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Barbara Mitchell was an English
actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period.
) in the gentle comedy For the Love of Ada
, which ran for four series and 27 episodes, followed by a spin-off
film. At the same time, she was appearing periodically as Mrs. Abbott, the absurdly over-protective mother of would-be tough guy Frankie ("Mummy's little soldier"), in Please Sir!
and its sequel The Fenn Street Gang
. Mitchell's appearances as Mrs. Abbott were sporadic, and fleeting, but were hugely popular and are still remembered with affection.
In Lizzie Dripping
, a BBC
children's programme which ran for two series in 1973 and 1975, Mitchell played Patty Arbuckle, the often harassed mother of Penelope (Tina Heath
), while her longest-running role came in the Yorkshire Television
production Beryl's Lot
, 52 episodes over three series between 1973 and 1977, in which she played Vi Tonks, married to Trevor (Tony Caunter
) and neighbour and friend to the titular Beryl (Carmel McSharry
).
Films
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period.
Career
Mitchell started out as a stage actress, and gained a foothold in television with a number of appearances in popular shows in the 1960s. In 1970, she got her first leading TV role, as Ruth, the daughter of the title character (Irene HandlIrene Handl
-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
) in the gentle comedy For the Love of Ada
For The Love Of Ada
For the Love of Ada is an ITV sitcom that ran between 1970 - 1971.-Outline:This gentle sitcom starred Irene Handl as Ada Cresswell a Cockney pensioner widow who lives with her daughter Ruth Pollitt and son-in-law Leslie Pollitt .Ada starts a relationship with Walter Bingley , the gravedigger who...
, which ran for four series and 27 episodes, followed by a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
film. At the same time, she was appearing periodically as Mrs. Abbott, the absurdly over-protective mother of would-be tough guy Frankie ("Mummy's little soldier"), in Please Sir!
Please Sir!
Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
and its sequel The Fenn Street Gang
The Fenn Street Gang
The Fenn Street Gang is a British television sitcom which ran for three seasons between 1971 and 1973. The series was created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, it was spun-off from their Please Sir! series, and followed the lives of many of the pupils from Fenn Street School as they entered the...
. Mitchell's appearances as Mrs. Abbott were sporadic, and fleeting, but were hugely popular and are still remembered with affection.
In Lizzie Dripping
Lizzie Dripping
Lizzie Dripping was a British television children's programme produced by the BBC in 1973 and 1975...
, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's programme which ran for two series in 1973 and 1975, Mitchell played Patty Arbuckle, the often harassed mother of Penelope (Tina Heath
Tina Heath
Tina Heath is a British actress and former television presenter. In 1973, she played the title role in the popular children's television serial Lizzie Dripping after first playing the character in an episode of Jackanory Playhouse in 1972; her character was supposed to be 12 years old, but in fact...
), while her longest-running role came in the Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
production Beryl's Lot
Beryl's Lot
Beryl's Lot was a British sitcom about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by Kevin Laffan, produced by David Cunliffe and Peter Willes, and directed by Derek Bennett and David Reynolds for Yorkshire Television and broadcast on ITV...
, 52 episodes over three series between 1973 and 1977, in which she played Vi Tonks, married to Trevor (Tony Caunter
Tony Caunter
Anthony Peter "Tony" Caunter is a British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom Queenie's Castle and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in EastEnders from 1994-2003....
) and neighbour and friend to the titular Beryl (Carmel McSharry
Carmel McSharry
Carmel McSharry is an Irish character actress, best-known for her roles portrayals of Beryl Humphries in Beryl's Lot, and as Mrs. Hollingbery in In Sickness and in Health....
).
Appearances
Television- 1959: Emergency - Ward 10
- 1960: The Secret GardenThe Secret GardenThe Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
- 1963: Z-CarsZ-CarsZ-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
- 1963: Bud
- 1964: The Larkins
- 1965/66: Dixon of Dock GreenDixon of Dock GreenDixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
- 1966: Play of the Week
- 1969: Ours Is a Nice House
- 1969: Dombey and Son
- 1970: Please Sir!Please Sir!Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
- 1970/71: For the Love of AdaFor The Love Of AdaFor the Love of Ada is an ITV sitcom that ran between 1970 - 1971.-Outline:This gentle sitcom starred Irene Handl as Ada Cresswell a Cockney pensioner widow who lives with her daughter Ruth Pollitt and son-in-law Leslie Pollitt .Ada starts a relationship with Walter Bingley , the gravedigger who...
- 1971: The Doctors
- 1971: Doctor at Large
- 1971/73 The Fenn Street GangThe Fenn Street GangThe Fenn Street Gang is a British television sitcom which ran for three seasons between 1971 and 1973. The series was created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, it was spun-off from their Please Sir! series, and followed the lives of many of the pupils from Fenn Street School as they entered the...
- 1973: The Gordon Peters ShowGordon PetersGordon Peters is a British television actor.Peters starred in a BBC TV comedy series in 1973 called The Gordon Peters Show. It was a situation comedy where he played a character with his own name...
- 1973: The GoodiesThe Goodies (TV series)The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
- 1973-75: Lizzie DrippingLizzie DrippingLizzie Dripping was a British television children's programme produced by the BBC in 1973 and 1975...
- 1973-77: Beryl's LotBeryl's LotBeryl's Lot was a British sitcom about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by Kevin Laffan, produced by David Cunliffe and Peter Willes, and directed by Derek Bennett and David Reynolds for Yorkshire Television and broadcast on ITV...
- 1974: Funny Ha-Ha
- 1974: My Name is Harry WorthHarry WorthHarry Worth was an English comedy actor and comedian...
- 1977: Yanks Go HomeYanks Go HomeYanks Go Home is a British sitcom about U.S. Army Air Forcemen stationed in Lancashire, England in the Second World War. It was produced and directed by Eric Prytherch for Granada Television and broadcast on ITV between 1976 and 1977. The series ran for 2 series and 13 episodes in total before its...
Films
- 1960: Inn for TroubleInn for TroubleInn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
- 1963: Ladies Who DoLadies Who DoLadies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
- 1971: Please Sir!Please Sir! (film)Please Sir! is a 1971 British comedy film starring John Alderton, spun off from the television series Please Sir!.-Cast:* John Alderton as Bernard Hedges* Deryck Guyler as Norman Potter* Noel Howlett as Maurice Cromwell...
- 1972: For the Love of AdaFor the Love of Ada (film)For the Love of Ada is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Ronnie Baxter and starring Irene Handl, Wilfred Pickles, Barbara Mitchell and Jack Smethurst. It is a spin-off from the television series For the Love of Ada. An elderly couple are about to celebrate the first anniversary of their...
- 1977: What's Up Nurse