One of Britain’s beloved 1980s sitcoms, Sorry!, centered on Timothy Lumsden’s repeated failed attempts to escape his family home, blocked by his overbearing mother, Phyllis. Comedian Ronnie Corbett portrayed Timothy, while Barbara Lott brought Phyllis to life. The cast also featured William Moore, Marguerite Hardiman, Derek Fuke, and Roy Holder.
Barbara Lott’s Extensive Career
Barbara Lott passed away in 2002 at age 82. She debuted on screen in 1939 with an uncredited role in Let’s Be Famous. Her film credits included The Party’s Over, Electric Moon, and The Pillow Book, where she played the mother of Ewan McGregor’s character.
On television, Lott appeared in Ballet Shoes, Rings on Their Fingers, 2point4 Children, and the initial two seasons of Doc Martin.
Her Pioneering Husband, Stuart Latham
Beyond the spotlight, Lott married actor and producer Stuart Latham in 1940. The couple stayed together until Latham’s death in 1993 at age 81.
Latham acted in 1940s and 1950s films such as The Ghost Train, The Man in the White Suit, and The Galloping Major. He gained lasting fame as a producer, overseeing the first 60 episodes of ITV’s Coronation Street, now exceeding 11,000 episodes.
Latham devised the soap opera’s name. H.V. Kershaw recounted in his autobiography: “The following morning copies of a memorandum from Harry [Latham’s real name] Latham winged their way to every interested recipient in Granada announcing that the new serial was to be known as Coronation Street.”
Memories of Early BBC Drama
Latham once reflected on the BBC’s early programming, mentioning his wife: “But what an incredible range of drama it was that they did in those days. I mean – Shakespeare – there was Romeo and Juliet, which I seem to remember Julius Caesar in modern dress, As You Like It. I remember that as being a rather damp squib, Twelfth Night where Harold Clayton whose both Studio A and Studio B agitated actors were dashing from one studio to another, and at one stage the Viola (Barbara Lott) was lurking in the corridor having been back to the dressing room to make a change couldn’t remember which studio she had to go in and was hovering until someone dashed out from Studio B saying, ‘This way, this way’ and the poor girl went in.”
