June to take sip of Wine

Oct 27 2001 By Neil Atkinson, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SHE'S a salsa-dancing silver surfer who drove her screen daughter Edina Monsoon to distraction in the hit show Absolutely Fabulous.

And actress June Whitfield is now looking forward to her Christmas special appearance in Last Of The Summer Wine.

She admits she loved every minute of playing Ab Fab's batty mother but also relished the chance to taste a sip of Wine.

Sitting in a restaurant in London's West End the actress could easily be mistaken for her on screen alter ego.

The 75-year-old actress reveals that she was originally only supposed to be in Absolutely Fabulous for one episode.

"It's made the past 10 years my busiest since the 1950s. Originally I was only in a 30-minute flashback but I thought the script was terribly funny.

"Thank God I did it, because Jennifer, who said she'd always wanted me to play her mum, expanded the part."

Whitfield thinks that being in Absolutely Fabulous has brought her to a whole new generation of television viewers.

"I'll meet people with teenage children who say they remember watching me in Terry And June (in which she co-starred with Terry Scott in the 1970s and 80s ) and now their youngsters known me from Absolutely Fabulous.

"Maybe it's time for a Terry And June revival."

Born in London, RADA-trained Whitfield has made her name playing alongside some of this country's comedy legends including Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Barker and Tony Hancock.

She also featured in the long-running series of Carry On films.