I was saddened to hear of the death of Dame Patricia Routledge at the grand old age of 96 today. Dame Patricia and I met when we both received the Honorary Fellowship of the Guild of Musicians and Singers in a ceremony in London in April 2018. She subsequently became a Patron of the Guild.

At the ceremony – Dame Patricia is second from left, I am second from right.

The respect in which Dame Patricia was held as an actress reflected her consummate mastery of both comic and serious acting. Everything she did was eminently watchable and I greatly enjoyed her television work over several decades. In person, she was a strong traditionalist, a maintainer of proper standards in speech and a devout Christian. Despite her fame and many recognitions, she was unpretentious and friendly and it was a great pleasure to have met her.

May she rest in peace and rise in glory.