Edith Melba Artois
Encyclopedia
Edith Melba Artois also referred to as Madame Edith, is a fictional character
in the BBC
sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
, which ran from 1982 to 1992. The character was played by the late Carmen Silvera
.
. After Rene's 'execution' and fake death, she became the legal owner of the cafe
, which gave her greater influence over her husband's actions than she had had before. She does however dream of the day when René will remarry her (as his own false twin
brother).
Madame Edith, despite being tone deaf, fancies herself a cabaret
singer, and insists on treating cafe customers to displays of her talents. Her concerts usually clear the cafe; those who remain stuff cheese
in their ears to muffle her wails. While one of the waitresses, Mimi Labonq
, actually does have talent, Madame Artois will not usually permit her to entertain the customers. Madame Edith's singing is so horrible that she has shattered glass, in one duet, she made every dog in the town howl, and to prevent Rene from being killed by several Resistance girls who where going to shoot him as a collaborator. She has no problem with the waitresses taking favoured customers upstairs, though.
Madame Edith is a jealous wife, and will become angry and suspicious of Rene whenever he is near other women. However she is very easy to hoodwink, whenever she catches her husband in a clinch with one of the waitresses, she swallows whatever transparent lies Rene chooses to tell her. Since she is thought to be a widow, she occasionally has suitors of her own, who flatter her enormously. They include Monsieur Alfonse
, the local undertaker; and
Bertorelli
, an Italian captain. Edith's relationship with Rene himself can be quite contradictory at times, at one point she was quite ready to commit a suicide bombing to save Rene from the Germans and on other occasions is quite eager to see Rene die in some Heroic manner so she can be considered the Widow of a great man.
Edith appeared in the pilot episode and every subsequent episode. She is sometimes the butt of several jokes about her looks and exaggerating her age
. Her age was at one point suggested to be over a hundred years old as she claimed she entertained soldiers returning from War and Rene riposte'd that it was during the Crimean War
.
, interrupts during the radio transmission.
Edith's accent
is greatly exaggerated in this episode. It nearly bears no resemblance to the voice
she quipped in later episodes. Also, she is less of a pushover
.
. After the war, now aged, she was confined to a bed and has adopted several of her mother's mannerisms. When René elopes with the serving girl Yvette Carte-Blanche
, she is left alone in Nouvion.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the 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...
sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
, which ran from 1982 to 1992. The character was played by the late Carmen Silvera
Carmen Silvera
Carmen Blanche Silvera was a Canadian-born British comic actress of Spanish-Jewish descent who moved to Coventry with her family when she was a child...
.
Personality
Edith is the wife (and subsequently, sister-in-law) of her husband René ArtoisRené François Artois
René François Artois is a fictional character, the main character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. The character was played by the actor Gorden Kaye...
. After Rene's 'execution' and fake death, she became the legal owner of the cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, which gave her greater influence over her husband's actions than she had had before. She does however dream of the day when René will remarry her (as his own false twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
brother).
Madame Edith, despite being tone deaf, fancies herself a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer, and insists on treating cafe customers to displays of her talents. Her concerts usually clear the cafe; those who remain stuff cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
in their ears to muffle her wails. While one of the waitresses, Mimi Labonq
Mimi Labonq
Mimi Le Bonque is a fictional character on the BBC situation comedy 'Allo 'Allo!. She first appeared in the fourth season, and stayed with the show until the end....
, actually does have talent, Madame Artois will not usually permit her to entertain the customers. Madame Edith's singing is so horrible that she has shattered glass, in one duet, she made every dog in the town howl, and to prevent Rene from being killed by several Resistance girls who where going to shoot him as a collaborator. She has no problem with the waitresses taking favoured customers upstairs, though.
Madame Edith is a jealous wife, and will become angry and suspicious of Rene whenever he is near other women. However she is very easy to hoodwink, whenever she catches her husband in a clinch with one of the waitresses, she swallows whatever transparent lies Rene chooses to tell her. Since she is thought to be a widow, she occasionally has suitors of her own, who flatter her enormously. They include Monsieur Alfonse
Monsieur Alfonse
Monsieur Alfonse is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. He was played by actor Kenneth Connor.-Character overview:...
, the local undertaker; and
Bertorelli
Captain Alberto Bertorelli
Captain Alberto Bertorelli is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. He was played by Gavin Richards at first, later being replaced by Roger Kitter for season 7 .-Character overview:Bertorelli was, as a result of Nazi Germany's alliance with Italy and...
, an Italian captain. Edith's relationship with Rene himself can be quite contradictory at times, at one point she was quite ready to commit a suicide bombing to save Rene from the Germans and on other occasions is quite eager to see Rene die in some Heroic manner so she can be considered the Widow of a great man.
Edith appeared in the pilot episode and every subsequent episode. She is sometimes the butt of several jokes about her looks and exaggerating her age
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
. Her age was at one point suggested to be over a hundred years old as she claimed she entertained soldiers returning from War and Rene riposte'd that it was during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
First Appearance
Madame Edith attempts to sing in her café, to no avail. Later, she delivers a message to René. Her mother upstairs, Madame Fanny La FanMadame Fanny La Fan
Madame Fanny La Fan is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. She was played by the actress Rose Hill.-Personality:...
, interrupts during the radio transmission.
Edith's accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
is greatly exaggerated in this episode. It nearly bears no resemblance to the voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
she quipped in later episodes. Also, she is less of a pushover
Pushover
Pushover may refer to:*Pushover EP, an EP by Australian artist Lisa Miller*Pushover , a game for the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS and SNES...
.
Subsequent Episodes
Edith is later shown to be adopted, that Madame Fanny is not her birth mother. Edith was delivered to Madame Fanny in a basket. She could also have been a gypsy princess: a Gypsy read her palm, and all clues pointed to her being a long lost princess. However, none of the Gypsies could take her voice, so they forced her away.Last Appearance
She appears on the last episode of 'Allo 'Allo!'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
. After the war, now aged, she was confined to a bed and has adopted several of her mother's mannerisms. When René elopes with the serving girl Yvette Carte-Blanche
Yvette Carte-Blanche
Yvette Carte-Blanche is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. She was played by the actress Vicki Michelle....
, she is left alone in Nouvion.