British actress, comedian and singer, Dame Patricia Routledge, is best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, for which she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in 1992 and 1993. She is also known for her roles in To Sir, with Love as Clinty Clintridge, Lock Up Your Daughters as Nurse, and Pretty Polly as Miss Gudgeon. It is still one of the best kept secrets in show business that Patricia Routledge trained not only as an actress but also as a singer and had considerable experience and success in musical theatre, both in this country and in the United States of America. Her many awards include a Tony for her Broadway performance in the Styne-Harburg musical Darling of the Day and a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Her one woman show Come for the Ride toured the UK in 1988 and in 1992 she played Nettie Fowler in the highly acclaimed production of Carousel at the National Theatre. In this fascinating encounter with the writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson, Dame Patricia recalls this very special part of her career with access to some rare and treasured recordings.
