Hello, I'm Krestey Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1990, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is an actress. If you've listened to or watched British comedy over the past 40 years, you're bound

to have seen or heard her. Perhaps it was as Eth who had the misfortune to fall for a member of

the Glum family in the early 50s. Or as June, who for better, but mostly for worse, found herself

wedded to Terry in the early 70s.

She's worked often as the loyal little woman, alongside such names as Arthur Askey, Benny Hill, Dick Emory, Bob Munkhouse, and she's even played

Cinderella to Wilfred Pickle's Buttons.

She is a consummate professional without whom no comedy cast seems quite complete.

She is, June, it does seem to have been your professional role in life to be the

loyal wife or fiance putting up with rather troublesome attachments?

You're absolutely right. I think one does fall into a niche and people say don't you

get fed up you know and I say no keep them rolling. But I'm a bit past that now perhaps I'm going to be the

eternal mother you know but in a sense of course it always makes you the straight

guy in the comedy duo really doesn't it yes Yes well I've always enjoyed doing that you

know saying the line before the funny line it's um but that always means the

other person gets the laugh yes but they also take the responsibility.

So maybe it's a sort of shirking type thing,

you know, that you think, well, that wasn't my fault.

I mean, the raft didn't come, but of course it can be.

But have you never mind it?

Have you never wanted to be the star as it were the one who gets all the laughs

...