Patsy Byrne
Encyclopedia
Patsy Byrne is an English actress.
. After that she studied drama at the Rose Bruford School before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company
playing parts such as Maria in Twelfth Night and Gruscha in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
at the Aldwych Theatre
in the early 1960s. In the 1980s she also worked at Chichester Festival Theatre
.
Patsy is famous for playing round, jolly, often slightly insane old women. Probably the most famous of these is Nursie
in the popular BBC
sitcom Blackadder II
. She once again starred alongside Tony Robinson in a Series 3 episode of Maid Marian and her Merry Men
. She also starred as Betty the Tea Lady in the BBC children's programme Playdays
.
She is also famous for being able to do the splits well into her 60s, which she showed off when she played Malcolm's domineering mother in Watching
.
She has also starred in Stealing Heaven
(1988), Inspector Morse (1989), Les Misérables (1998), David Copperfield (1999) and Kevin & Perry Go Large
(2000) and numerous radio plays.
Biography
She was educated at Ashford School for Girls, and attended the school around the same time as Lorna Fendall, and Joanna Brough, daughter of Arthur BroughArthur Brough
Arthur Brough was a British actor, best known for portraying the character of senior menswear salesman Mr...
. After that she studied drama at the Rose Bruford School before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
playing parts such as Maria in Twelfth Night and Gruscha in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
at the Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
in the early 1960s. In the 1980s she also worked at Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
.
Patsy is famous for playing round, jolly, often slightly insane old women. Probably the most famous of these is Nursie
Nursie
Nursie is a fictional character in the second series of the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder II. She was played by Patsy Byrne and appeared in all six episodes. She also appeared in two of the Blackadder specials; Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Blackadder: Back & Forth...
in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Blackadder II
Blackadder II
Blackadder II is the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986...
. She once again starred alongside Tony Robinson in a Series 3 episode of Maid Marian and her Merry Men
Maid Marian and her Merry Men
Maid Marian and her Merry Men is a British children's sitcom created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. It began in 1989 on BBC One and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994...
. She also starred as Betty the Tea Lady in the BBC children's programme Playdays
Playdays
Playdays was a children's television programme from the United Kingdom. The series ran from 17 October 1988 to 28 March 1997 on Children's BBC , and was aired in reruns until 2003. The show was the successor of Play School, and, like its predecessor, was designed as an educational programme...
.
She is also famous for being able to do the splits well into her 60s, which she showed off when she played Malcolm's domineering mother in Watching
Watching
Watching is a British television sitcom, produced by Granada Television for the ITV network and broadcast for seven series and four specials between 1987 and 1993....
.
She has also starred in Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade...
(1988), Inspector Morse (1989), Les Misérables (1998), David Copperfield (1999) and Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large is a 2000 British comedy film based upon the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was directed by Ed Bye and was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Louisa Rix all return to their roles after previously appearing in Harry...
(2000) and numerous radio plays.