S3·E36 Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers… Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Dame Patricia explains what attracted her to playing the woman who discovers an extraordinary talent for sleuthing in her sixties, cracking the case where all else fail, and why such roles are so vital in an industry that places a focus on youth over experience. The contrasts between Hetty and Hyacinth Bucket were a huge part of the appeal, and Patricia shares her thoughts on why the sort of variety the series presented is so important to her as an actor. She also shares her affection for her fellow cast members and her disdain for the BBC bosses who presented her and Hetty with a case they never managed to solve – the mystery around why the programme was cancelled in its prime, and how they managed to break the news to her quite so incompetently.