The Great Women of British Comedies

Although Americans sometimes like to think that they own the world of television, there are in fact several British actresses, some of whom are no longer with us, who manage to be both enormously talented and enormously funny at the same time. These grand dames of British comedy set the bar high when it comes to making us laugh.

Patricia Routledge

Without a doubt, one of the funniest women of any era would have to be this redoubtable British actress, who is probably most famous to American audiences for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the hit comedy seies "Keeping Up Appearances." However, she also went on to star in a number of other series, and she had been quite successful even before she started playing Hyacinth. With her unforgettably powerful voice and her impeccably coiffed hair, Ms. Routledge definitely deserves her place among the greatest British comedic actresses.

Mollie Sugden

Best known for her role as the bossy and indomitable Mrs. Betty Slocombe, one of the main characters in the hit series "Are You Being Served?", Ms. Sugden sadly passed away in 2009. However, she also had an enormously successful career, and American audiences will never forget the redoubtable woman who portrayed Mrs. Slocombe who, with her wildly colored hair and her take-no-prisoners attitude, definitely dominated "Are You Being Served?"

Stephanie Cole

Finally, we come to Stephanie Cole, who is probably best known for he role as the crotchety but enormously funny older woman in the bitingly humorous "Waiting for God." Since then, she has gone on to play a number of other, smaller roles in several films and television series. However, nothing can top her performance as Diana, for she truly brought out the bitterness, but also the hidden tenderness, that was at the heart of her character.

Whether you love the British, the comedy, or British comedy, you should definitely try out some of the series featuring these wonderful women of comedy. Although each of them has a particular series that they are best known for, you should also try to find some of the other series and films that they starred in, to appreciate the truly great range they had as performers. Once you've experienced the joy of watching British comedy, and especially the women in them, you will never be able to look at American comedies in the same way again. For all that they might be funny, they simply do not measure up to our friends across the pond.