Penelope Keith, star of classic British sitcom The Good Life, has died aged 86

PENELOPE KEITH, THE English actor best known for her role in hit 1970s sitcom The Good Life, has died aged 86. 

Keith played the snobbish, social climbing Margo in the classic BBC show about the travails of a couple, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal, who quit the rat race and aim to become self-sufficient by keeping a farm in their suburban back garden. 

The much-loved series ran for decades in repeats, and Keith was associated with the role throughout her long career. 

She also starred opposite Peter Bowles in To the Manor Born between 1979 and 1981. 

A statement on behalf of Penelope Keith’s family said:

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years.

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“The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”

Keith’s co-star in The Good Life, Felicity Kendal, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of her friend’s death. 

“The shows I worked on with her were such special times in our lives and demonstrated her comic genius.

“My heart goes out to her beloved Rodney at this time, theirs was a great love story and partnership. She was a joy to know and work with, and she will be much missed.”

The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) said it was “saddened to learn of the passing of Dame Penelope Keith”.

“A familiar face on stage and screen, Keith won a BAFTA for her iconic role in The Good Life in 1977 and another for her work in The Norman Conquests and Saving It For Albie in 1978, with a further three BAFTA nominations during her career.”

Theatres in London’s West End will dim their lights for two minutes on Wednesday evening in Keith’s memory, according to the Olivier Awards, which described her as a “beloved actress”. 

English actress and comedian Sue Perkins described Keith as the “creator of the greatest sitcom characters of all time”, in a post on Instagram. 

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