In pictures: Mollie Sugden

Actress Mollie Sugden, who has died at the age of 86, was a TV regular before starring in Are You Being Served? It included a role in ITV series Bootsie and Snudge in 1961.

Sugden is chiefly remembered for her comic roles. But her background was in dramatic theatre, and here she appears in a BBC TV production of costume classic Emma.

The pilot episode of Are You Being Served? was screened in 1972, with Sugden's most memorable character Mrs Slocombe in her early stages of development.

The much-loved sitcom was on air for 13 years, with Sugden's snooty shop assistant famed for her zany range of hair colours and the unforgettable references to her beloved cat.

Sugden also starred in Come Back, Mrs Noah - a futuristic comedy from the same writers as Are You Being Served? But it was short-lived and a ratings disappointment.

Sugden, along with the stalwarts of Are You Being Served? had a second taste of success in the 1990s with spin-off Grace and Favour. It gained the actress favourable attention in the US.

In recent years, the star was at the centre of a series of Little Britain sketches about a woman (David Walliams) obsessed with having been Mollie Sugden's bridesmaid, in which she made a cameo appearance.

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