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This article is written from a real world point of view and so is not considered part of The Worst Witch universe.

Una Stubbs
Una3

Birth Name

Date of Birth

1 May 1937

Place of Birth

Hinckley, Leicestershire

Occupation

Actress

Years Active

1956-2017

Role

Miss Bat

Date of Death

12 August 2021

Una Stubbs (born 1 May 1937, Hinckley, Leicestershire- died 12th August, 2021) was an English actress and former dancer who appeared as a dancer or actress in many British television programmes which include situation comedies such as Till Death Us Do Part. She has infrequently taken roles in films or on the stage.

Una Stubbs played Miss Bat in The Worst Witch (TV Series). She starred in Midsomer Murders, and many other things - many on the comical side.

Film and television[]

Una Stubbs was one of The Dougie Squires Dancers on the British TV music show Cool for Cats in 1956.

Her first major screen role was in Cliff Richard's 1963 film, Summer Holiday. A few years later, she made her breakthrough in television comedy, playing Rita Rawlins, the married daughter of Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part. She also appeared in the short-lived sitcom Till Death... (1981), again playing Rita.

From 1970 to 1972, Stubbs appeared on most editions of It's Cliff Richard! and It's Cliff! on BBC1, singing, dancing and acting along with the host and the weekly guests. When she took maternity leave from the show, her TV mother Dandy Nichols appeared on the show with Cliff to cover for her absence. She also appeared in the 1972 West End revue, Cowardy Custard, and two years later in the revue Cole, at the Mermaid Theatre.

Stubbs featured in the Fawlty Towers episode The Anniversary. She played Rita a third time in a few episodes of the BBC sitcom In Sickness and in Health (1985-92). But after 1986, she stopped appearing as Rita, due to technical arguments with the BBC. However, she played Rita a fourth time in the Granada series, A Word With Alf.

Stubbs played Aunt Sally in the ITV children's series Worzel Gummidge opposite Jon Pertwee, and was for several years a team captain in the weekly game show Give Us a Clue. She had an ongoing role as Miss Bat in the TV series The Worst Witch and has appeared in shows such as Midsomer Murders, Heartbeat, Casualty, Keeping up Appearances, and as Edith Pagett in ITV's 2006 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple] story Sleeping Murder. Stubbs has also appeared in The Catherine Tate Show playing various characters.

On stage, Stubbs appeared in Noël Coward's "Star Quality" in 2001. She also appeared in La Cage Aux Folles at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2008.

Personal life[]

Stubbs was married to the actor Peter Gilmore from 1958 to 1969: they adopted a son Jason Gilmore. After their divorce, she married actor Nicky Henson in 1969, but was divorced again in 1975. She and Henson had two children: composer Christian Henson (born 25 December 1971), and musician-composer Joe Henson (born 18 September 1973).

For many years, Stubbs has sketched vignettes of characters around London, and has held exhibitions of these near her Mayfair home[1].

She died in her Edinburgh home after several months of ill health, at the age of 84. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58190446)

Television shows and films[]

Only the entries for 1963, 1964 and 1965 are theatrical films

  • Summer Holiday (1963) as Sandy
  • The Bargee (1964) as Bridesmaid
  • Three Hats for Lisa(1965)
  • Till Death Us Do Part as Rita (28 episodes, 1966-1974)
  • Till Death Us Do Part]] (1969) as Rita
  • Worzel Gummidge as Aunt Sally (21 episodes, 1979-1981)
  • Till Death... as Rita (6 episodes, 1981)
  • In Sickness and in Health as Rita (9 episodes, 1985-1986)
  • Worzel Gummidge Down Under as Aunt Sally (11 episodes, 1987-1989)
  • The Worst Witch as Miss Bat (25 episodes, 1998-2000)
  • The Catherine Tate Show as Carole-Ann (2 episodes, 2005)
  • EastEnders as Caroline Bishop (6 episodes, 2006)
  • Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy as Fern (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
  • Benidorm guesting as Diana Weedon (Season 3 Episode 5, 2009)
  • Ingenious as Gransha (2009)
  • Sherlock as Mrs Hudson (9 episodes, 2010–)

References[]

External links[]

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