What is it, muesli?

Remarkably, sharing a birthday with some of the "Best of British", including Kenneth Williams, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Christine Keeler, Nigel Planer, Judy Cornwell, Dame Sheila Hancock, Sir John Mills, Lord Baden-Powell, the Duchess of Kent, Genesis P-Orridge and, erm, James Blunt; as well as George Washington, Marni Nixon, Drew Barrymore (who is 50!), Luis Buñuel, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Kyle MacLachlan, Edward Gorey, Guy Mitchell, Jonathan Demme, Ted Kennedy, Niki Lauda, Steve Irwin, Ellen Greene, Lea Salonga, Arthur Schopenhauer and, erm, Dolly the sheep; our beloved Dame Julie Walters celebrates her 75th birthday today!

All hail.

One of our all-time favourite actresses here at Dolores Delargo Towers, Dame Julie has turned her hand to a little bit of everything, from drama to comedy to musicals, and in her long career quite rightly earned herself that well-trodden epithet "national treasure".

So without further ado, here's a random selection of favourite bits from her career...

Victoria Wood and Julie Walters - Marjorie and Joan: Double Glazing [Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV]

Julie Walters and Michael Caine - Educating Rita: Ibsen

Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story

Victoria Wood and Juie Walters - Turkish Bath

Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston - Two Soups [Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV]

Dinnerladies

Personal Services: "Dolly!"

Acorn Antiques episode 5 [Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV]

An inspiration in my life...

Many, many happy returns, Dame Julia Mary Walters DBE (born 22nd February 1950)

Goodbye Nanny Stern

"Mr Marples, for Nanny Stern."
"I thought Mr Marples was for House of Pain."
"No, winkie-poos and bot-bots."
"Oh, God! It's taken me an hour to get into this lot!"











And so we bid a sad goodbye today to one of our favourite character actresses here at Dolores Delargo Towers, the ineffably cool Miss Shirley Stelfox.

During her long career, she appeared in dozens of best-loved TV shows including Nearest and Dearest, Making Out, Brookside, Juliet Bravo, Coronation Street, The Bill, Keeping Up Appearances, Emmerdale and Crossroads. But it is her superb turn as the worldly wise prostitute and best friend to Julie Walters' "Cynthia Payne-esque" lead in one of our all-time favourite films Personal Services for which she is dearest to our hearts...

Personal Services clips

Farewell, dear "Shirl".

Shirley Stelfox (11th April 1941 – 7th December 2015)