Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 1922–1980) was an English actress who appeared in many genres of light entertainment including radio, film, television and stage. Jacques's career spanned from 1939 until her death in 1980. She is best remembered for her appearances in fourteen Carry On films and for her professional partnership with Eric Sykes.

In 1939 Jacques became involved in amateur dramatics, appearing as Doris Gow in Noël Coward's short play Fumed Oak. Five years later, after wartime service as a nurse and a welder, she made her professional theatrical debut at the Players' Theatre in the revue Late Joys, a performance that she repeated on television in 1946. From there she became a regular stage performer, appearing in variety shows and Victorian-style pantomimes.

After her appearances on radio as Sophie Tuckshop alongside Tommy Handley in the final two series of his signature show It's That Man Again, Jacques came to national prominence. She later appeared on Educating Archie as Agatha Dinglebody, where she worked with Tony Hancock; in 1956 she joined Hancock in the cast of the BBC radio show Hancock's Half Hour, playing Griselda Pugh, Hancock's secretary. She made her film debut in an uncredited role in Green for Danger in 1946, before working in a number of minor roles in a series of Dickens adaptations. From 1958 to 1974 she appeared in fourteen Carry On films, where she was "usually cast as formidable hospital matrons (at least four) or man-devouring predators".

Jacques had a long professional partnership with Eric Sykes, with whom she co-starred in two long-running television series, Sykes and a... and Sykes. The couple also produced an album and a single in 1962; a stage show followed between 1976 and 1979, A Hatful of Sykes. Jacques was married to the actor John Le Mesurier in November 1949, but their marriage was dissolved in 1965. Jacques died suddenly in October 1980 from heart failure.

Stage credits + Stage credits of Hattie Jacques Production Date Theatre(London, unless stated) Role Notes Fumed Oak , Barnes Amateur production with The Curtain Club Borgia , Barnes Beatrice of Orsini Amateur production with The Curtain Club Late Joys revue Players' Theatre – Professional debut with the Players' Theatre The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood Players' Theatre – Players' Theatre pantomime Pantomime Players' Theatre – Players' Theatre – Players' Theatre –  – January 1947 Lyric Theatre Smeraldina With the Young Vic Theatre Company  – June 1947 National tour Smeraldina Five-month tour with the Young Vic Theatre Company Players, Please Players' Theatre – Bates Wharf Spring 1948 Whitehall Theatre – With the Under Thirty Theatre Group Players' Theatre Fairy Queen Players' Theatre pantomime Players' Theatre Marygolda Players' Theatre pantomime Please Teacher People's Palace – Also on national tour Ali Baba and the Thirty-Nine Thieves Players' Theatre Adapted by Jacques and Joan Sterndale-Bennett Apartments Players' Theatre Players' Theatre – Going Up Players' Theatre Riquet with the Tuft Players' Theatre Fairy Queen Adapted by Jacques and Joan Sterndale-Bennett  – January 1952 Prince of Wales Theatre –  – 29 November 1952 St Martin's Theatre – Also directed Babes in the Wood Players' Theatre – Directed Cinderella Players' Theatre Fairy Fragrant Five-week run Players' Theatre – Also directed Players' Theatre Twenty Minutes South  – July 1955 Players' Theatre – Produced and directed Twenty Minutes South  – October 1955 St Martin's Theatre – Produced and directed; 105 performances Chain of Guilt Players' Theatre – Players' Theatre – Albertine by Moonlight Westminster Theatre Ali Baba and the Thirty-Nine Thieves Players' Theatre Adapted by Jacques and Joan Sterndale-Bennett Large as Life – 13 December 1958 London Palladium – 380 performances Royal Variety Performance London Coliseum – Royal Variety Performance Victoria Palace Theatre – Riquet with the Tuft Players' Theatre – Adapted by Jacques and Joan Sterndale-Bennett  – September 1976 Pavilion Theatre, Torquay –  – 5 March 1977 Hong Kong Sheraton – King's Theatre, Glasgow – Winter Gardens, Blackpool – Summer season Theatre Royal, Lincoln –  – 6 May 1978 Seven Arts Theatre, Rhodesia – Including a tour of Rhodesia  – 27 January 1979 National Arts Centre, Ottawa and tour of Canada –  – March 1979 Tour of South Africa –  – July 1979 National tour – Consisting Lincoln, Guilford, Cardiff, Wilmslow, Norwich and Brighton  – September 1979 Bournemouth –

Radio broadcasts + Radio broadcasts of Hattie Jacques Broadcast Date Role Notes Variety Bandbox – It's That Man Again  – 10 June 1948 Series eleven: 38 episodes It's That Man Again  – 6 January 1949 Series twelve: 16 episodes April Revue – – Heloise – Clay's College – Educating Archie  – 19 December 1950 Series one: 29 episodes Further Goings On – Fine Goings On  – 5 July 1951 – Series one: 14 episodes Calling All Forces – Educating Archie  – 25 January 1952 Series two: 26 episodes Arthur's Inn – Educating Archie  – 26 June 1953 Series three: 27 episodes Educating Archie  – 1 April 1954 Series four: 25 episodes – Paradise Street  – 13 July 1954 Spin-off series from Educating Archie – The Goon Show and Educating Archie special Educating Archie Series five Mrs Dale's Diary  – April 1955 18 episodes These Radio Times – You're Only Young Once – Hancock's Half Hour  – 24 February 1957 Series four: 16 episodes Hancock's Half Hour  – 3 June 1958 Series five: 20 weeks Hancock's Half Hour Christmas special Educating Archie  – 17 February 1960 Series ten: 20 episodes It's a Fair Cop  – 10 July 1961 – 8 episodes Desert Island Discs – Interviewed by Roy Plomley – Housewife's Choice  – August 1964 – 4 episodes Souvenir – 13 episodes Twenty Questions – Sounds Familiar – Pete's People – Interviewed by Pete Murray My Kind of Music – Today Programme – Live interview on BBC Radio 4 Morning Story –

Television + Television appearances of Hattie Jacques Programme Date Channel Role Notes Late Joys Revue BBC Television – Live broadcast from the BBC Alexandra Palace Studios No, No, Nanette BBC Television – Live broadcast from the BBC Alexandra Palace Studios Out of This World BBC Television – Panorama BBC Television – Featured a film sequence of the pantomime "Cinderella" from the Players' Theatre Happy Holidays  – 18 September 1954 BBC Television 6 episodes Plunder BBC Television  – 27 December 1955 ITV Various 7 episodes Tribute to Henry Hall BBC Television – ITV – Series one, episode 6 , "Honneur et Fidelite" ITV – Series two, episode 2 Pantomania BBC Television Good Fairy Hancock's Half Hour  – 10 June 1957 BBC Television – Series two: 5 episodes BBC Television Gala Opening BBC Television – Hancock's Half Hour, "The Cruise" BBC Television Amorous Lady Series five, episode 6 Sykes and a...  – 26 February 1960 BBC Television Series one: 5 episodes Royal Variety Performance ITV – Broadcast from the Victoria Palace Theatre Twentieth Century Theatre, "The Insect Play" BBC Television – Sykes and a...  – 15 September 1960 BBC Television Series two: 6 episodes Our House  – 4 December 1960 ITV Series one: 13 episodes Sally Ann Howes Variety Show – Juke Box Jury BBC Television – Jacques made four scheduled appearances on the show on 9 April 1960, 6 October 1962, 30 March 1963 and 13 December 1967 Additionally, Eric Merriman recollected in his biography that she made "several" appearances on other, non scheduled occasions, none of which are verified. Sykes and a...  – 8 February 1961 BBC Television Series three: 6 episodes Sykes and a...  – 19 May 1961 BBC Television Series four: 6 episodes Our House  – 21 April 1962 ITV Series two: 26 episodes Billy Cotton Band Show BBC Television – Sykes and a...  – 20 March 1962 BBC Television Series five: 8 episodes Compact BBC Television – That Was the Week That Was BBC Television – Christmas Night with the Stars BBC Television – Short special from Sykes and a... This Is Your Life BBC Television – Jacques was the show's main guest Sykes and a...  – 11 April 1963 BBC Television Series six: 8 episodes Sykes and a...  – 7 April 1964 BBC Television Series seven: 7 episodes Miss Adventure  – 10 October 1964 ITV 13 episodes ITV Sykes and a...  – 4 December 1964 BBC Television Series eight: 6 episodes Cribbins BBC Television – Bernard Cribbins's sketch show Sykes and a...  – 16 November 1965 BBC Television Series nine: 7 episodes Jackanory  – 17 February 1967 BBC Television Narrator 10 episodes – Narrating the stories of Mary Poppins Titi-Pu BBC Television – A re-working of The Mikado Theatre 625, "The Memorandum" BBC Television Helen Sykes Versus ITV ITV – Knock Three Times BBC Television Inside George Webley ITV –  – 22 April 1968 BBC Television – Series one: 13 episodes Howerd's Hour ITV – Frankie Howerd's sketch show Join Jim Dale – Pickwick BBC Television Based on the musical Pickwick Carry On Christmas ITV Catweazle ITV – Charley's Grants  – 26 April 1970 BBC Television Dangerpoint Ask Aspel BBC Television – Sykes and a Big, Big Show  – 2 April 1971 BBC Television – 6 episodes Frankie Howerd: The Laughing Stock of Television ITV – Doctor at Large: "Cynthia Darling" ITV Sykes – With the Lid Off ITV – Christmas Night with the Stars BBC Television – Performed short sketch, A Policeman's Lot Max Bygraves at the Royalty ITV – Max Bygraves at the Royalty ITV – Sykes  – 28 December 1972 BBC Television Series one: 16 episodes Carry On Christmas ITV – Pebble Mill at One BBC Television – Call My Bluff BBC Television – Sykes  – 17 December 1973 BBC Television Series two: 15 episodes Sykes  – 5 December 1974 BBC Television Series three: 8 episodes Celebrity Squares ITV – Wogan's World BBC Television – Looks Familiar ITV – Carry On Laughing: "Orgy and Bess" ITV 2nd House: The Sound of Laughter BBC Television – Sykes  – 12 December 1975 BBC Television Series four: 7 episodes Sykes: "Christmas Party" BBC Television Christmas special Sykes  – 30 December 1976 BBC Television Series five: 8 episodes Eric Sykes: A Few of our Favourite Things ITV – ITV – Sykes: "Christmas Special" BBC Television Christmas special Sykes  – 8 February 1978 BBC Television Series six: 6 episodes Multi-Coloured Swap Shop BBC Television – Sykes  – 16 November 1979 BBC Television Series seven: 7 episodes Play It Again, Hattie Jacques ITV – Rhubarb Rhubarb ITV Nanny Shown posthumously

Filmography + Filmography of Hattie Jacques Film Year Role Notes Green for Danger 1946 – Uncredited Nicholas Nickleby 1947 Oliver Twist Singer at 'Three Cripples' Trottie True Barmaid Uncredited Waterfront Singer Uncredited Chance of a Lifetime Alice Scrooge 1951 No Haunt for a Gentleman Mother Riley Meets the Vampire All Hallowe'en Our Girl Friday Up to His Neck Rakiki Chambermaid As Long as They're Happy 1955 Party girl Now and Forever 1956 Woman in sportscar with dog Uncredited Gretchen Carry On Sergeant Left Right and Centre Woman in car Ada Follow a Star Fortune teller Carry On Nurse Matron Carry On Teacher Carry On Constable Make Mine Mink School for Scoundrels First Instructress Watch Your Stern In the Doghouse Gudgeon Carry On Regardless Sister She'll Have to Go 1962 Carry On Cabby Peggy Woman with rose in her mouth Carry On Doctor Matron Rhubarb Monte Carlo or Bust! Lady journalist Carry On Camping Carry On Again Doctor Matron Crooks and Coronets Mabel Carry On Loving 1970 Carry On at Your Convenience Danger Point 1971 Miss Keen Carry On Matron Matron Carry On Abroad 1972 Floella You'd Better Go in Disguise 1973 Hattie Carry On Dick 1974 Three for All 1975 Security official

Discography + Recordings by Hattie Jacques Title Year Format Label Notes "Doctor Kildare" / "Bedtime Story" Single Decca Records (Y7092) With Eric Sykes Eric and Hattie and Things''!!! Album Decca Records (LK 4507) With Eric Sykes

Notes and references Notes

References

Bibliography

External links Hattie Jacques at the British Film Institute