Barbara Young (9 February 1931 – 27 April 2023) was an English actress. She is known for her role as the future Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

's mother, Agrippinilla, in the landmark 1976 BBC serial '' I, Claudius''.Claudius Takes a New Wife
, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 16 May 1978, p. 4. Retrieved 11 July 2011

Early life and education

Barbara Young was born on 9 February 1931 in Brighouse to Dora (née Ratcliffe) and Jack Young. While training to be an actor at Bradford Civic Theatre, one of her teachers, Rudolph Laban, recommended her to

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

who ran the

Theatre Workshop Theatre Workshop is a theatre group whose long-serving director was Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company, many of its productions were transferred to theatres in the West ...

. After joining the company in 1951, Young lodged with fellow Theatre Workshop actor

Harry H. Corbett Harry H. Corbett (28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor. He is best remembered for playing rag-and-bone man Harold Steptoe alongside Wilfrid Brambell in the long-running BBC Television sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'' (1962–196 ...

in Wythenshawe.

Career

In 1956, Young made her West End debut in Peter Myers' revue ''For Amusement Only'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

. Young also played Miss Scatcherd in the 1970 film of ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'', Eileen Clancy in the 1975 TV series ''

Looking for Clancy Looking for Clancy was a 1975 television serial broadcast on BBC2. Based on Frederic Mullally's 1971 novel ''Clancy'', it was dramatised in five parts by Jack Pulman and starred Robert Powell, Keith Drinkel and T. P. McKenna. Produced by Ric ...

'', and Dot Wilmington in the TV series '' Hazell''. She appeared in ''

On Giant's Shoulders ''On Giant's Shoulders'' is a 1979 BBC television film about the early life of thalidomide victim Terry Wiles, with Wiles playing himself. The drama also starred Bryan Pringle and Judi Dench and won an Emmy Award in 1980.< ...

'' for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1979. She played the long-running role of gossipy yet lovable Sadie Hargreaves Lloyd in the soap opera ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

''. Sadie, a former theatre actress turned barmaid, was a key figure in the show from 1998 until 2005, making her one of the show's longest-serving characters. Young previously acted in the soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' in the early 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. In February 2007 she rejoined the cast of ''Coronation Street'', this time as

Doreen Fenwick The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 2007, by order of first appearance. Roger Stiles Roger Stiles, played by Andrew Dunn, is a plumber who fixes Janice Battersby's (Vick ...

, an old friend of

Rita Sullivan Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Played by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the charac ...

. She appeared in two episodes of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'': the 1997 pilot episode "

The Killings at Badger's Drift ''The Killings at Badger's Drift'' is a mystery novel by English writer Caroline Graham and published by Century in 1987. The story follows Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby investigating the murder of an elderly spinster in a rural village. It is ...

" and the 2006 episode "Last Year's Model". In 2008 Young made a guest appearance in "Get Out of That, Then", an episode of the long-running BBC comedy series ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'', as

Bobby Ball Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon (Thomas ...

's wife Florrie. Following the departure of

Kathy Staff Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress known for her work on British television. She is best known for her portrayal of Nora Batty in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', the longest running si ...

from the series in 2008 Young joined the regular cast as

Nora Batty Nora Batty (née Renshaw) is a fictional character in the world's longest-running sitcom, ''Last of the Summer Wine''. Nora became a national icon, recognised by her wrinkled stockings, pinny and distinctive style of hair curlers. She appeared i ...

's sister, Stella. She appeared in ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' playing Mags (Nan to

Scott Sabeka The following is a list of characters who first appeared or were due to appear in the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' during 2011, listed in order of their first appearance. In January 2011, it was announced that Gareth Philips woul ...

) from 10 to 13 April 2012. Her final television appearance was in 2016, when she played Connie Templeton in an episode of the BBC soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

''.

Personal life and death

In 1956, Young married screenwriter

Jack Pulman Jack Pulman (11 July 1925 – 20 May 1979) was a British television screenwriter, most famous for the 1976 BBC television series, '' I, Claudius'', based on the novels ''I, Claudius'' and ''Claudius the God'' by Robert Graves. Biography Born ...

. They had two daughters together, singer

Liza Pulman Liza Kate Pulman (born 1969) is a British singer and actress. She is one third of the satirical comedy trio Fascinating Aïda which received Drama Desk Award nominations in 2005 and 2010. Biography Early life Born in 1969 in Westminster, Pulm ...

and actress

Cory Pulman As a given name, Cory is used by both males and females. It is a variation of the name Cora (name), Cora, meaning "(the) Maiden", which is a title of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from the Gaelic word ''coire'', which means ...

. Pulman died in 1979 from a heart attack. Young died at

Addenbrooke's Hospital Addenbrooke's Hospital is a large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county to ...

in Cambridge on 27 April 2023, at the age of 92.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Barbara Young
Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Barbara 1931 births 2023 deaths English soap opera actresses English television actresses Actors from Brighouse Actresses from West Yorkshire English film actresses 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses