Favourite Female character Page 2

Marge Simpson. She is the one.

I'd also like Queenie (Blackadder II), Sybil Fawlty and Margot Leadbetter to be taken into consideration. None of these sitcoms would have worked without them.
Who else? Yes, Else. Alf Garnett was never quite the same without his missus.

And slightly more obscurely, Agnes Fairchild from "Brass". The epitome of a heaving bosom.

Conversely, can anyone think of shows that were better without the female characters that were sometimes in it? I always think Bilko was better focusing on the male motorpool characters rather than his on-off relationship with Sgt Hogan. And Porridge never worked as well when Fletch's daughter Ingrid was involved (Ingrid's presence probably helped undermine Going Straight). No reflection on the talents involved, just that the dynamic worked better as a male environment.

Any other examples, or disagreements?

I disagree about Ingrid. I think her cameo's in Porridge where very good and she was necessary in Going Straight to keep Fletch on the straight and narrow. Plus, he was a jobless, ex-con, realistically, he'd need her support financially. I don't think the focus ever shifted from Fletch. I think Going Straight was very good, but missed the diverse characters from Porridge. Spin-off's rarely work.

I'm in two minds about OFAH. I think early on, Raquel and Cassandra gave the main characters a different focus and provided interesting diversions, however, in the final 6 episodes, they were over-involved and uninteresting. I think if they'd been in the background a bit more, it might've worked better.

Caroline - Green Wing
Sue - Green Wing
Fran - Black Books
Mrs Pike - Dad's Army
Joy - Drop the Dead Donkey
Mrs Doyle - Father Ted
Hyacinth - Keeping Up Appearances
Margaret - One Foot in the Grave

Tessa Wyatt in Robins Nest

Quote: Rick Skelton @ March 9, 2007, 11:10 AM

I'm in two minds about OFAH. I think early on, Raquel and Cassandra gave the main characters a different focus and provided interesting diversions, however, in the final 6 episodes, they were over-involved and uninteresting. I think if they'd been in the background a bit more, it might've worked better.

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Y'know, I've never thought about it like that before, but I agree. The dynamic was between Rodney, Del, and Grandad/Uncle Albert, with the odd 'bird' as a nice extra-type. The introduction of Cassandra, and to a lesser extent Raquel, as full-time characters diluted the main concern of the series' and meant that time had to be spent on other areas.

I'd forgotten Joy in Dead Donkey. Very scary and totally disrespectful.

Talking of Cassandra and Raquel although both well written characters I think maybe that was when it started going downhill. It almost became a soap.

Incidentally just discovered "Badly Dubbed Porn". (Paramount 2 after TGP), Very clever. Of course I'm not at all interested in the porn bit.

Defo Hyacinth Bucket from KUA,
The granma, and the mother Lois in Malcolm In The Middle.
Kathy Burke in anything and everything she does (Did you know she is also a director) What a talented lady she is. If this lady blew her ciggie smoke in my direction I would be honoured.
Oh and Mrs Doyle from Father Ted.

David Chapman wrote: 'Talking of Cassandra and Raquel although both well written characters I think maybe that was when it started going downhill. It almost became a soap. ’

I strongly disagree that it started to go downhill then. Cassandra appeared in the whole of the 6th series and it's considered by many to be the best they ever made.

Raquel's first appearances were in 'Dates' and 'Jolly Boys' Outing' and again they are widely regarded as the best feature length episodes.

I think that the problems that OFAH had at times were due to the writing in general. An episode like 'Miami Twice' for example features very little of Cassandra and Raquel and yet is still poor.

Quote: Nick @ March 10, 2007, 12:34 PM

David Chapman wrote: 'Talking of Cassandra and Raquel although both well written characters I think maybe that was when it started going downhill. It almost became a soap. ’

I strongly disagree that it started to go downhill then. Cassandra appeared in the whole of the 6th series and it's considered by many to be the best they ever made.

Raquel's first appearances were in 'Dates' and 'Jolly Boys' Outing' and again they are widely regarded as the best feature length episodes.

I think that the problems that OFAH had at times were due to the writing in general. An episode like 'Miami Twice' for example features very little of Cassandra and Raquel and yet is still poor.

View original

I was never convinced by either Cassandra or Racquel as I never warmed to either of the actresses who played them as I thought their performances were frequently poor.

OFAH seemed to always suffer from having a clash between actors who were superb and rounded out their characters to the fullest degree (Jason and Lyndhurst of course, plus Lloyd Pack, Challis and Pearce) to those who were significantly less talented and hence their characters remained totally one-dimensional (Strong, Peake-Jones, Murray and MacDonald). I acknowledge this might have something to do with the writing as I feel John Sullivan was lazy in all of his sitcoms with his supporting characters as he never developed them fully unless he needed to base an entire episode around them.

Any who, back to the original question, although not strictly a sitcom, I always 'liked' Peggy Hill from King of the Hill as she is one of the few main female characters who is not used as the good-egg "voice of sanity" in a comedy, as is the norm (Marge in the Simpsons, Margaret in One Foot in the Grave, Polly in Fawlty Towers, etc). She has quite an unlikeable and "unaware of her naivety" personality, leading to the classic episode where she is tricked into posing with her man-sized feet on a web-site, unaware that the web-site is for foot-fetished perverts.

Oh and a shout out for Mrs Warboys from One Foot in the Grave.

Vicar of dibley - Geraldine & Alice
Goodnight Sweetheart - Yvonne & Phoebe
Allo Allo - Michelle

That got you all going didn't it.

What I really meant was there was a time when OFAH was "can't miss" TV but later on it almost became a cliche of itself. Take it or leave it although still better than a lot of other stuff.

I do like Marlene though, although Green green grass was nowhere up to standard of OFAH.

Mary Nesbitt from Rab C and Drunk Sloane from Naked Video.

Claude in Less Than Perfect. I have such a crush on her! But that has come since I've respected her gift for comedy as an actress, and also the character herself is such a nice person!

Edina - Ab fab
Elliott - Scrubs

I love Fleur Bennett (Mavis) from Are You Being Served Again!
Do any of you Brits know what she's doing now, and how I can
get in touch with her for an autograph? She was sooooooo great
on the show, that's why I tuned in to watch!

WT