Brigit Forysth: Actress who starred in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? dies

Actress Brigit Forsyth – who starred in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? – has died at the age of 83, her agent has said.

Forsyth played Thelma Ferris, the long-suffering wife of Rodney Bewes’s character Bob, in the cult 1970s BBC sitcom.

Her agent Mark Pemberton confirmed she died “peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her family” in the early hours of Friday morning.

He said in a statement: “Brigit had a varied and notable career in stage, screen and radio. Best known for her roles in television as Thelma in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?, Francine Pratt in Playing The Field and Madge in Still Open All Hours.”

Following the final episode of Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? in 1974, Forsyth appeared in shows such as Poirot and Casualty.

She also appeared in Coronation Street – playing one of Ken Barlow’s escort clients.

In 2000, she returned to screens as the social climbing snob Francine Pratt, who was married to businessman Jim Pratt played by Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson, in the BBC’s footballing drama Playing The Field.

Forsyth also won plaudits for her stage roles which included playing an American in The Glass Menagerie and a Polish doctor in a production at the National Theatre.

She also appeared in radio plays on the BBC over the years and featured in the Radio 4 sitcom Ed Reardon’s Week.

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Forsyth founded her own cross-disciplinary theatre company, Word Mills Productions, in 2016.

Her agent described her as a talented musician who played the cello, sang and composed.

Her husband was Coronation Street director Brian Mills.