Forever the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty

RUNELLA Scales was one of the most successful and popular comedy actresses of her generation - achieving worldwide fame and recognition as Sybil, the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty in the memorable TV series Fawlty Towers.

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> John Cleese and Prunella Scales as Basil and Sybil Fawlty in the TV comedy sitcom Fawlty Towers

But although she was regularly cast in comic roles, her abilities ranged far more widely than that - she even appeared in opera.

Scales also played Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question Of Attribution as well as appearing in a one-woman show called An Evening With Queen Victoria.

But she will be remembered most of all for her role in “partnership” with John Cleese in Fawlty Towers, often regarded as the most hilarious comedy series ever shown on television.

Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth was born on June 22, 1932 and attended Moira House Girls’ School in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Her early work, during a long career, included parts in the second UK adaptation of Pride And Prejudice (1952) and Hobson’s Choice (1954).

Her career break came with the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines starring opposite Richard Briers. She also had roles in BBC Radio 4 sitcoms, notably After Henry, Smelling Of Roses and Ladies Of Letters, while on television she starred in the London Weekend/Channel 4 series Mapp & Lucia based on the novels by EF Benson.

She played Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution. And in 1973, Scales teamed up with Ronnie Barker in the series called Seven Of One, also for the BBC.

After several film appearances, in 2003 Scales appeared as Hilda, the “she who must be obeyed”, wife of Horace Rumpole in four BBC Radio 4 plays, with her real-life husband, Timothy West, playing her fictional husband.

Scales and West subsequently toured Australia at the same time in different productions.

Scales appeared in a one-woman show called An Evening With Queen Victoria, which also featured the tenor Ian Partridge singing songs written by Prince Albert.