British TV Comedy Stars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Patricia Routledge

Hyacinth Bucket, who insists that her name is pronounced Bouquet, is a dreadful snob and social climber. Her poor husband, Richard, is a martyr to her pretensions. Hyacinth's family are poor and have no social aspirations at all, and she is very embarrassed by them. 'Keeping Up Appearances' was first shown in 1990.

Dame Patricia Routledge was nominated twice for BAFTAs for her performance as Hyacinth Bucket. She was also a regular contributor to Victoria Wood's television show. She was born in Birkenhead, England, and studied at Liverpool University before being trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Answer: John Cleese and Connie Booth

John Cleese who played Basil and his then wife Connie Booth who played Polly, the maid wrote the series together. Basil Fawlty the rude and incompetent manager of a small hotel in Torquay was based on the manager of a real hotel where John had once stayed. His wife Sybil played by Prunella Scales nags him and attacks him all the time verbally and physically. Prunella Scales has said that Sybil was not a horrible woman but someone trying to do her best under very difficult circumstances.

John was a member of the 'Monty Python' team writing and acting in the sketches and was also a writer and performer for 'The Frost Report'. American born Connie Booth gave up her acting career in 1995 and trained for five years at London University as a psychotherapist, before becoming a practising psychotherapist registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council.

Answer: Annette Crosbie

'One Foot in the Grave' was about Victor Meldrew, played by Richard Wilson. He was an elderly man who had been forced into early retirement. He finds most things in life very trying and is the definitive 'grumpy old man'. His long suffering wife, Margaret, copes with life with him as best she can. 'One Foot in the Grave' was written by David Renwick and was first shown in 1990.

Annette Crosby is a Scottish born actress. She has won two BAFTAs, one for 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII', and the other for 'Edward VII', which were both BBC productions. In her spare time she is involved in raising money and finding homes for retired greyhounds, racing dogs that are sometimes put to sleep when they get old, their racing days are over, and they are no longer wanted.

Answer: Richard Briers

Richard Briers had a wonderful, long career both on television and on film. In 'The Good Life', first shown in 1975, and 'Ever Decreasing Circles', that first aired in 1984, he played characters who were quite opposite. Tom Good was very confident, laid back and unconventional. Martin, in 'Ever Decreasing Circles', was not at all confident. He was fussy and pedantic. His next door neighbour Paul is very confident and laid back. Martin feels that Paul beats him all the time, but Paul does not see any competition.

Richard was born in 1934 in Merton Surrey and sadly died in 2013. He was married and had two daughters, Lucie and Katie.

Answer: June Whitfield

Jennifer Saunders wrote 'Absolutely Fabulous', also known as 'Ab Fab'. She played the lead character, Edina Monsoon, a PR agent who was crazy, out of control, and a heavy drinker. She and her friend, Patsy Stone, played by Joanna Lumley, were in constant pursuit of eternal youth. Edina's daughter, played by Julia Sawalha, was a much more down to earth character, as was her grandmother, played by the late great June Whitfield. The show was first broadcasted in 1992.

June had a long career beginning in radio comedy in the 1950s, where she got her first big break on 'Take it From Here' with the late Jimmy Edwards. She starred in several television sitcoms, including the long running 'Terry and June', where she co-starred with Terry Scott; they played a middle aged suburban couple. June was born in 1925 and died in 2018 at the age of 93. She was married and had one daughter.

Answer: Ruth Jones and James Corden

James is from London and Ruth is Welsh so they wrote the successful sitcom 'Gavin and Stacy' about an Essex boy and a girl from Barry in Wales who fall in love and marry. They play the two main characters' best friends, Smithy and Nessa. Gavin and Stacey was first shown in 2007 and there were three series.

James has hosted the American TV talk show, 'The Late Late Show' since 2015 and Ruth has acted in many more roles on television, including playing the late Hattie Jacques in a drama based on her life. She has also recently published a novel.

Answer: Miranda Richardson

Miranda Richardson brilliantly portrayed the childish Queen Elizabeth I. She always has her nanny with her who treats her as a little girl. She threatens her courtiers with beheading for what she considers to be unforgivable deeds like winning a game against her or not bringing her lavish enough gifts, though she usually says that she is only joking or is quickly won over with flattery or some trinket. Queen Elizabeth was a feature of the second series of Blackadder which was first shown in 1986.

Miranda was born in Southport, Lancashire England, and after school she went to the Bristol Old Vic school to train as an actress. She made her film debut in the movie 'Dance with s Stranger' (1985), in which she played Ruth Ellis, who was the last woman to be hung in England. She is also well known for her part in the animated movie 'Chicken Run' (2000), in which she voiced the part of Mrs. Tweedy, and in the movie 'Made in Dagenham' (2010), which was about the 1968 women's strike at the Ford Motor Company in Dagenham, England, when they were protesting about sexual discrimination and unequal pay. Miranda played Barbara Castle, who was a well known politician of the time and who supported the women. She has also appeared as Queen Mary wife of King George V on television in a drama about Mary's son, Prince John.

Answer: Michael Crawford

Frank Spencer was a bit of a misfit, and could never get anything right. Although he is very keen to have a job he can never hold one down, and the man in the job centre reacts with horror at the sight of him. He created chaos when he attempted to act in amateur dramatics, and when he and his wife Betty stayed in a hotel he unintentionally wrecked the room. Famously Michael Crawford did all his own stunts for this series many of which were quite hair raising. The show first appeared in 1973.

Crawford went on to have great success in musical theatre including appearing in 'Barnum' and 'Phantom of the Opera'. Since 1980 he has worked with many children's charities, and is the patron of the Lighthouse Children's Trust in Australia, and president of The Sick Children's Trust.

Answer: David Jason

David Jason played the young errand boy in 'Open All Hours', and the old man in 'Porridge', when he was round about the same age. Ronnie Barker also appeared in both these programmes, but not in 'Only Fools and Horses' in which Jason played the wheeler dealer Del Boy from Peckham. 'Only Fools and Horses' has been voted Britain's most popular comedy drama.

David was born in 1940, and his birth name is David John White. He chose the name Jason as his professional name because he was always fascinated by the story of Jason and the Argonauts. His brother Arthur White is also an actor, and they have appeared several times together, notably in 'Frost', the series where David plays a police inspector. David became a father for the first time at the age of 61 when his girlfriend, Gill Hinchcliffe, gave birth to a baby girl.

Answer: Dawn French

The people of Dibley, being an old fashioned lot, did not expect to have a woman as their new vicar, and when Geraldine Granger turned up they were quite shocked. Geraldine, played by Dawn French, is a very normal young woman, and not at all holy.

Dawn French was first known as part of a double act with Jennifer Saunders. They wrote and performed many very funny sketches for their show 'French and Saunders'. Dawn is a Welsh woman born in Holyhead. For twenty-six years she was married to the comedian Lenny Henry, but in 2013 she married for a second time to Mark Bignell.