Brigit keeps avoidingbeing pinned down

“It has always been my aim always to try to avoid being pinned down to a character or a type of character,” she says.

Inevitably, though, the part of Thelma in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? does still follow her around - not that Brigit is complaining. Far from it.

“I know that The Likely Lads is my calling card and the reason I am still working. It’s really difficult in this profession, especially as you get older. I am extremely lucky. It means that people know me. That’s what people seem to remember me for - and it’s just nice to be remembered!”

Just as long as no one expects her to say anything new about it: “I think I have said all I could possibly say about it”, she laughs - happy memories from a golden era of TV which she’d love to think might return one day.

“TV was just terrific at the time. It hadn’t been going for so very long and there was a huge output of such fantastic stuff. The dramas and comedies were just amazing, that whole splurge of stuff from the 70s and 80s through until the early 90s. It was just wonderful. I keep hoping it will come back. I think (the programme-makers) do underestimate what people like. People like good drama and good comedy. But I am optimistic. There have been one or two really smashing programmes like Gavin And Stacey that are really proper comedy, just recently. And there is now Downton Abbey.”

In the meantime, Brigit is enjoying some great opportunities on stage, with Carrie’s War - the classic tale of war-time evacuation - getting a great response.

Brigit was also in the Chichester Festival Theatre premiere of Calendar Girls, a terrific experience in a sell-out show which went on to the West End and is still touring now. Brigit was with it for a year, playing the frosty WI chairman in charge of the spirited WI girls who came up with that calendar.

“I felt very sad that I was not one of the girls! I was really in two minds about doing it. My character was rather outside it and didn’t approve.

“I didn’t really like the part. I did like her at odd moments, like the badminton scene. But I used to feel very sad during rehearsals because the other girls were having such a great time.

“I thought it would be good to be part of that - though I don’t know about taking my clothes off! But actually that was very tastefully done!”

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