Penelope Keith was a comic genius whose Good Life performances have more than stood the test of time

Penelope Keith, left, with Good Life co-stars Richard Briers, Paul Eddington, and Felicity Kendal, pictured in 1977 (Picture: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive) | Getty Images

Penelope Keith, who has died at the age of 86, was little more than a bit part in the 1970s sitcom, The Good Life, when it began. In the first episode, she did not even appear on screen, with only her voice being heard.

However, as BBC executive John Howard Davies later explained, the part “grew and grew because she took a very firm grip on the character from the outset”.

READ MORE: Penelope Keith in her own words: 15 touching and funny quotes from the late actress – including on Scotland and growing old

Indeed, it became so large that she became a national institution in her own right, with her portrayal of the snobbish, bullying but somehow likeable social climber Margo Leadbetter just as important to the show’s popularity as the central couple, played by Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers. The Good Life remains funny to this day and has not dated in the same way as other programmes from that era.

Keith’s nuanced performances provide a reminder that life is seldom black and white, a lesson that today’s social media warriors really should learn. But, most of all, she was a comic genius who made millions of people laugh. There are few better epitaphs.