In
these days when the news broadcast’s spew out stories of death and destruction
around the clock and to be honest I’ve become more than a little de-sensitized.
I
suppose I have become hard hearted but every now and then something touches me
inside it was like when I heard of dear Thora’s passing.
I
cried because I was so deeply saddened when I heard Thora had died, sad because
it was like losing a relative but not a distant auntie you only hear from at
Christmas but a truly loved one like your mum.
Thora
was born in Morecambe Lancashire on the 28th of May 1911 and she
made her stage debut two months later when she was carried on to the stage of
the Royalty Theatre in Morecambe, in a play directed by her stage manager
father.
Despite
her father’s theatrical background he did not want her to pursue an acting
career and instead she worked at the local Co-op before joining Morecambe
Repertory Theatre and her first appearance on a London stage wasn’t until 1940.
For
many years she had to content herself playing cleaning ladies or housekeepers,
and all the time her father proving to be a dominant influence throughout the
early years.
Thora
made the first of many television appearances as early as 1954 in “one Good
Turn” followed by “The Queens Nose” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood” in 1955.
With
the sixties came the so called kitchen sink drama’s routinely portraying gritty
northern folk in everyday situations soap opera in other words but this was all
grist for the mill to Thora.
But
the talented actress could play Shakespeare, with equal ease, notably as the
nurse in BBC TV's 1967 production of Romeo and Juliet.
The
late sixties is the time I became aware of Thora Hird as I am of an age when I
can remember her with the wonderful Freddie Frinton in the poplar situation
comedy “Meet the Wife” playing Thora Blacklock the first of many success’s.
Such
as “In Loving Memory” (1979) as the irrepressible Ivy Unsworth and she joined
the cast of an already successful long running series “Last of the Summer Wine”
where she played Edie Pegden from 1986 to 2003.
In
between she was a regular in Play for Today, Play of the Month, The Wednesday
Play and PBS Classic Theatre as well as guesting in shows like Dinnerladies,
Heartbeat and All Creatures Great and Small.
As
if this were not enough for one actor she also appeared in more than 100 films,
including The Entertainer with Laurence Olivier.
But
I think if I were forced to choose from her immense catalogue of work I would
be difficult to ignore her brilliant collaboration’s with writer Alan Bennett
in the TV series Talking Heads most notably
“A Cream Cracker under the Settee” and “Waiting for the Telegram.”
Thora
Hird was also a deeply religious woman and her religious convictions led her to
present Sunday TV shows such as Praise Be and Songs of Praise.
Then
in 1976 with the publication of her autobiography her talent as a writer was
revealed and she went on to write several other successful books.
In
her long career Thora won three BAFTAS as well as the hearts of everyone that
saw her.
In
the 1990’s she was dealt the highest honor and the cruel blow of her life when
she was made a Dame in 1993 and she lost “Scotty” her husband of 58 years,
Jimmy Scott.
Despite
this and with health problems of her own she chose not to rest on her laurels.
My
most enduring memories of Thora will always be her appearances on chat shows
when she could be herself.
She never lost the common touch and she said she
liked to be “ordinary” in truth she was anything but ordinary she was a Vintage
northern lass and she was truly a national treasure.
