Ivy: Jane Freeman
Ivy
Amid the clatter of crockery and the smell of home cooking, cafe proprietor Ivy wages a constant battle to keep certain unruly customers in order. The cafe is regularly disrupted by the antics of those perpetual naughty schoolboys, Compo, Clegg and Foggy, prompting a by now inevitable response.
Step out of line or speak out of turn where Ivy is concerned and you will find yourself being escorted through the front door fasterthan you can say "woolly hat and wellies!"
Actress Jane Freeman is instantly recognised as the formidable figure who has ruled over the cafe with a rod of iron since Summer Wine started in the early 1970s. In those days, she formed half of a classic husband and wife double-act with the long-suffering Sid, played by the late John Comer.
His death was a sad loss to the cast but soon Ivy had someone else to boss around, in the form of her nephew Milburn, better known as Crusher. Since he moved on some years ago, Ivy has run the cafe single-handed although Nora Batty has been known to help out from time to time.
Like Nora's house, the cafe is one of the real-life places in Holmfirth which thousands of visitors seek out each year, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Summer Wine characters.
When Compo and co are not creating mayhem, the cafe reverts to a more peaceful state as a place where Ivy can entertain her friends, Nora, Pearl, Edie and Glenda. As with the afternoon tea gatherings at Edie's house, the main question to be settled is usually who will get the biggest cream bun!
Jane comes across as an excellent northern comedy actress, but in fact she was brought up near Merthyr Tydfil and trained at the Cardiff College of Music and Drama. After more than 20 years in Summer Wine, it is for her portrayal of Ivy that she is best known, although she has had countless other television and theatre roles over the years.
Her extensive repertory experience has included plays at York, Bournemouth, Dundee, Birmingham, Cardiff, Nottingham, Westcliff, Colchester, leatherhead and Salisbury. In the past couple of years, she has played the character Emma Hornet in the popular comedy Sailor Beware at the Theatre Clwyd, Mold, and the Lyric, Hammersmith.
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