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Betty Marsden, a remarkable and distinctive comedy actress, was one of Britain's finest talents, renowned for her numerous roles in Kenneth Horne's BBC radio shows during the 1960s.
Born in Liverpool on 24 February 1919, Betty Marsden made her stage debut at age 11 as the First Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Bath Pavilion. Later that year, she appeared in London for the first time as the Prince in The Windmill Man at the Victoria Palace, a fairy play with music.
She earned a six-year scholarship to the Italia Conti Stage School and first performed in the West End in Closing at Sunrise at the Royalty Theatre in 1935.
Before World War II, she appeared in Basil Dean's Autumn (1937), Ivor Novello's Comedienne (1938), and J.B. Priestley's morality play Johnson Over Jordan (1939).
During the war, she entertained troops with ENSA and acted in the West End production of the American comedy Junior Miss (1943). In 1947, she received acclaim for playing the amorous Mrs Corcoran opposite Alastair Sim in Dr Angelus, followed by a role in Sacha Guitry's Don't Listen, Ladies! (1948).
She then spent 12 years performing in intimate revues, beginning at London's small Irving Theatre Club in 1950-51, and later appearing at the Edinburgh Festival with After The Show. The 1950s saw her thrive at the Royal Court Theatre in Laurier Lister's Airs on a Shoestring (1953-55) and its follow-up From Here and There.
In 1958, she appeared in John Cranko's revue Keep Your Hair On, which was so poorly received that nightly audiences filled the gallery to take turns mocking the performance. The plot involved a London revolution, with many scenes set inexplicably in a Mayfair hairdresser's; Marsden bravely performed a song titled Crowning Glory.
During the 1960s, at the height of her career, she featured on BBC radio's Round the Horne alongside Kenneth Williams. She charmed millions of listeners, who had never seen her, with characters like Daphne Whitethigh, the cookery expert inspired by Fanny Craddock. She also performed a regular double act with Hugh Paddick in a Brief Encounter parody, known for its low-toned, breathy exchanges of the word "Darling."
Her most famous film role was as the oblivious, laughing Harriet Potter in Carry on Camping (1969), starring alongside comedy legends Terry Scott and Charles Hawtrey, forming an exceptional comedic team throughout the movie. In later years, she appeared in character roles on French and Saunders (1987) and Casualty (1986).
While filming Carry on Camping, Marsden confided in fellow actress Dilys Laye that she wished to die holding a glass of gin.
In July 1998, just 24 hours after moving into a residential home for elderly actors, this wish came true. Marsden was socializing with friends at the home's bar when she collapsed and passed away. She was 79 and had been recovering from heart issues and pneumonia.
