Dandy Nichols (born Daisy Sander; 21 May 1907 – 6 February 1986) was an English actress best known for her role as Else Garnett, the long-suffering wife of the character Alf Garnett, in the

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'' Till Death Us Do Part''.

Early life and career

Born Daisy Sander in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, London, 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 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 town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. During her early career on stage she acted under the name Barbara Nichols but later changed it to Dandy, her childhood nickname. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, Nichols 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. The latter role she took on in the music video " Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant. Nichols's successes in theatre include the Royal Court Theatre and Broadway productions of ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

''. Her big screen debut was in '' Hue and Cry'', in 1947, followed with performances in '' Nicholas Nickleby'', '' The Fallen Idol'', ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict cod ...

'', '' The History of Mr Polly'', '' Scott of the Antarctic'', '' Mother Riley Meets the Vampire'' and Dickens' ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...

''.

''Till Death Us Do Part''

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 A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

. The part was originally played in the pilot episode for the series (as part of the BBC's '' Comedy Playhouse'') by future ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' actress Gretchen Franklin. However, when it was commissioned as a series, Franklin was unable to break her contract for a West End play and Nichols was cast. Nichols'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. 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 Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...

's book and went on a "three-day week", forcing Alf to fend for and feed himself on her days off. 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.

''In Sickness and in Health''

'' Till Death Us Do Part'' came to an end in 1975 but was revived in 1981, entitled '' Till Death...'', and again in 1985. Nichols agreed to appear, but had been suffering from

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

and had to use a wheelchair. Her illnesses were written into the scripts, and the series was appropriately renamed '' In Sickness and in Health''. The series continued after her death, with Alf left on his own.

Film career

Nichols appeared in numerous films, which included '' Carry On Doctor'', '' Ladies Who Do'', '' The Holly and the Ivy'', '' The Vikings'',

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' film ''

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'', '' 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.

Later years

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''. She made appearances in ''

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

'', ''The Tea Ladies'' and '' Bergerac''. 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.

Personal life

Nichols was married to the newspaper editor Stephen Bagueley Waters in 1942, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1955. Nichols's 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 The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and London Borough of Tow ...

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

Television roles

Partial filmography

*''Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant music video)'' (1982) - Cleaning lady

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Dandy 1907 births 1986 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople 20th-century English actresses Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Actresses from London Deaths from pneumonia in England English television actresses English film actresses English stage actresses English atheists People from Fulham