Mollie Sugden

Comedy actress Mollie Sugden has died in hospital following a long illness, aged 86.

The Yorkshire-born star of popular sitcom Are You Being Served? died in the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford on Wednesday afternoon.

Frank Thornton, who played Captain Peacock in the BBC comedy, said: "Mollie, of course, was an excellent comedian. She was a jolly good actress."

Of their on-screen chemistry in the long-running BBC sitcom, he said: "You can't play comedy if you don't get on. It was a wonderful team."

Sugden's twin sons, Robin and Simon Moore, were at her bedside, according to her agent Joan Reddin.

Ms Reddin began representing Sugden in the 1960s before she became famous with her role as Mrs Slocombe.

She said: "She had had a long illness and various problems but it was very quick in the end. Her twin boys were with her and she faded away. She was a lovely, lovely person."

Sugden, who lived in Surrey, was married to fellow actor William Moore. She never fully recovered from his death nine years ago, said Ms Reddin. "They were very much in love," she said. "She started to go down when he died."

Best known for her comedy roles often playing battleaxes, Sugden also appeared as the fearsome Mrs Hutchinson in The Liver Birds, but her career spanned a variety of roles.

Born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in July 1922, Sugden trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Her early career was spent in repertory theatre, where in Swansea in 1956, she met Moore. They married two years later, when she was 35 and he was 39. Their sons were born six years later.

Until she showed up at Wendy Richard's funeral, I thought she had died years ago. I remember laughing my head off at "Are you being Served", long before the days of politically-correct comedy. Most of the stars have died now.

Fair play to her for giving birth to twins at the age of 41, especially in those days. I remember her being in Are you being served.So sad to hear that she never got over the death of her husband. Life can be so cruel.

What a shame, I remember her in Are you being Served