Dandy Nichols

Born Daisy Sander in Fulham, London,^[3] she started her working life as a secretary in a London factory. Twelve years later, after drama, diction and fencing classes, she was spotted in a charity show by a producer, who offered her a job in his repertory theatre company in Cambridge. During her early career on stage she acted under the name Barbara Nichols but later changed it to Dandy, her childhood nickname.^[2]

When the Second World War broke out, she returned to office work but later undertook a six-week tour with ENSA. When the war was over, she returned to the theatre and also began appearing in films: usually comedies and almost invariably as a maid or charlady.^[4] The latter role she took on in the music video "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant.^[5]

Her successes in theatre include the Royal Court Theatre and Broadway productions of Home.^[6][7] Her big screen debut was in Hue and Cry, in 1947,^[3] followed with performances in Nicholas Nickleby,^[3] The Fallen Idol, The Winslow Boy, The History of Mr Polly, Scott of the Antarctic, Mother Riley Meets the Vampire and Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.^[2][8]

Dandy Nichols's best-known role was Else Garnett in the landmark series Till Death Us Do Part, where she played the long-suffering wife of the character Alf Garnett who was a parody of a working class Tory.^[9] The part was originally played in the pilot episode for the series (as part of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse) by future EastEnders actress Gretchen Franklin.^[2] However, when it was commissioned as a series, Franklin was unable to break her contract for a West End play and Nichols was cast.^[10]

Dandy's role seemed, at first, almost negligible: spending the best part of one early episode reading the telephone book as Alf embarked on another of his tirades. However, Else proved to be a perfect foil for Alf, and could put him down effortlessly with a withering look or cutting remark.^[2] Perhaps her finest hour – in an episode shown by the BBC in tribute to Dandy in 1986 – was when, in 1974, Else took a leaf out of Prime Minister Edward Heath's book and went on a "three-day week", forcing Alf to fend for and feed himself on her days off.^[11]

In the original scripts, Alf was to refer to his wife as a "silly cow". This was firmly vetoed by BBC Head of Comedy Frank Muir, who thought this was inappropriate. Nichols said that it was "a lot of silly fuss about a silly moo" which was overheard by script writer Johnny Speight and became the series' most enduring catchphrase.^[12]

Till Death Us Do Part came to an end in 1975 but was revived in 1981, entitled Till Death..., and again in 1985.^[13] Dandy agreed to appear, but had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and had to use a wheelchair.^[2] Her illnesses were written into the scripts, and the series was appropriately renamed In Sickness and in Health.^[14] The series continued after her death, with Alf left on his own.^[3]

She appeared in numerous films, which included Carry On Doctor,^[3] Ladies Who Do, The Holly and the Ivy, The Vikings,^[3] the Beatles' film Help!,^[3] Georgy Girl, Doctor in Clover, The Birthday Party, The Bed Sitting Room, O Lucky Man!, Confessions of a Window Cleaner and Britannia Hospital amongst others.^[1]

After her role in Till Death Do Us Part, Nichols found work in television, notably playing opposite Alastair Sim in William Trevor's production of The Generals Day.^[15] She made appearances in Flint, The Tea Ladies and Bergerac.^[1][2] On stage, she appeared in Ben Travers's comedy Plunder, as well as playing alongside Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud in David Storey's Home, in both London and on Broadway.^[16][17][18]

Dandy Nichols was married to the newspaper editor Stephen Bagueley Waters in 1942,^[19] but the marriage ended in divorce in 1955.^[3]

Her poor health led to a fall in her flat and she died three days later of pneumonia and heart disease on 6 February 1986 aged 78 at the London Hospital, Whitechapel.^[3]

Source:^[1]

• Dandy Nichols at IMDb
• Dandy Nichols at the BFI's Screenonline