Acting
Lynda Bellingham
Lynda Bellingham played many roles during her five-decade professional career, but became synonymous with one. "Being a mum making gravy was not quite how I had seen my career advancing," she said once. But between 1983 and 1999 that's what she did in 42 "episodes" of an award-winning TV ad. Since the early 1980s, her name was rarely mentioned in print without it being prefaced with "Oxo mum". During her career, though, she starred on TV as the vet's wife Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small in the 80s and as one of two divorcees trying to forge a relationship in the 90s sitcom Second Thoughts, opposite James Bolam. On stage she was best known for playing the lead in a touring production of Calendar Girls between 2008 and 2012. She was also, for four years between 2007 and 2011, a regular member of the team on Loose Women, the daytime TV chat show. She had few regrets about how her career turned out, summarising its trajectory thus on her website: "Arrived in London at the Central School [for Speech and Drama] in 1966 and never looked back. I had a ball!" Bellingham, though, knew that gravy, like Lady Macbeth's damned spot, left an indelible mark. "In many ways I was very proud of what we did, but there is no doubt that my credibility as an actress was knocked," she reflected. "Certain people in the industry would never employ me as a serious actress after it. On the other hand, it gave me the financial security to go off and work in the theatre for very little money." Her performances as Mrs Oxo were reportedly responsible for a 10% increase in stock cube sales.
Filmography
Too Close for Comfort
Film · 2012
Odd One In
Series · 2010
Mister Eleven
Series · 2009
All Star Mr & Mrs
Series · 2008
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Series · 2007
Bonkers
Series · 2007
Robin Hood
Series · 2006
Devil's Gate
Film · 2004
The Long Bank Holiday
Film · 2004
New Tricks
Series · 2004
Murder in Suburbia
Series · 2004
Celebrity Naked Ambition
Film · 2003
The Last Detective
Series · 2003
One Life
Series · 2003
Bodywork
Film · 2001
Waking the Dead
Series · 2001
The Romanovs: A Crowned Family
Film · 2000
At Home with the Braithwaites
Series · 2000
Reach for the Moon
Series · 2000
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Film · 1999
Loose Women
Series · 1999
The Scarlet Tunic
Film · 1998
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Film · 1998
An Audience with Ronnie Corbett
Film · 1997
Midsomer Murders
Series · 1997
Dalziel and Pascoe
Series · 1996
Faith in the Future
Series · 1995
Junior Masterchef
Series · 1994
Martin Chuzzlewit
Series · 1994
Gibberish
Series · 1992
Second Thoughts
Series · 1991
This Morning
Series · 1988
Comic Relief
Series · 1988
The Vision
Film · 1987
Filthy Rich & Catflap
Series · 1987
Doctor Who: Terror of the Vervoids
Film · 1986
Doctor Who: The Mysterious Planet
Film · 1986
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
Film · 1986
Doctor Who: The Ultimate Foe
Film · 1986
Casualty
Series · 1986
Screen Two
Series · 1985
Surprise, Surprise
Series · 1984
Wogan
Series · 1982
Riding High
Film · 1981
Funny Man
Series · 1981
Mackenzie
Series · 1980
Shoestring
Series · 1979
The Waterloo Bridge Handicap
Film · 1978
Blake's 7
Series · 1978
All Creatures Great and Small
Series · 1978
The Pink Medicine Show
Series · 1978
An Audience with...
Series · 1978
Sweeney!
Film · 1977
Stand up, Virgin Soldiers
Film · 1977
The Professionals
Series · 1977
Don't Forget to Write!
Series · 1977
Cottage to Let
Series · 1977
Confessions of a Driving Instructor
Film · 1976
Yus, My Dear
Series · 1976
The Sweeney
Series · 1975
Angels
Series · 1975
Tell Tarby
Series · 1973
The Misfit
Series · 1970
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Series · 1969
Doctor Who
Series · 1963
Z-Cars
Series · 1962