Gilly Flower  | |
|---|---|
![]() as Miss Tibbs in Fawlty Towers  | |
| Born | Gertrude Adele Jacobs 26 August 1908 London, England  | 
| Died | 17 February 2001 (aged 92) Surrey, England  | 
| Occupation | Actress | 
| Years active | 1932–1991 | 
Gilly Flower (26 August 1908 – 17 February 2001) was an English actress and model, best remembered as the elderly Miss Abitha Tibbs in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.[1][2]
Flower played Miss Tibbs in all twelve episodes of the show, which was produced in two six-episode series separated by a three-and-a-half-year interval.[3]
A Londoner, Flower had her first film role in 1932 and, with the advent of television in Britain, she found a new outlet for her talents, continuing to appear in such programmes as Z-Cars, Steptoe and Son and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.[2][4] Early in her career, Flower was also a model and seven portrait photographs taken by Bassano, in which she is modelling hats from Kembray, may today be found in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.[1]
Flower retired from acting in 1991.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The New Hotel | ||
| 1968 | Work Is a Four-Letter Word | Auntie Winnie | 
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Six More Faces of Jim | 2 episodes | |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Play | The Unconfident | Episode: "The Confidence Course" | 
| 1965–1966 | Crossroads King's Oak | Mrs. Templeton | 4 episodes | 
| 1966 | Seven Deadly Sins | Group B Member (uncredited) | Episode: "The Erpingham Camp" | 
| 1968 | Beggar My Neighbour | Civil Defence volunteer | Episode: "Whiter Shade of Yellow" | 
| 1968 | The Root of All Evil? | Party guest | Episode: "Money for Change" | 
| 1969 | Wink to Me Only | 1st Woman | Episode: "The Vacuum Affair" | 
| 1969 | Not in Front of the Children | Housekeeper | Episode: "Stand on Ceremony" | 
| 1970 | Morning Story | Mrs. Johnson | Television film | 
| 1970 | The Culture Vultures | Secretary | Episode: #1.1 | 
| 1971 | Doomwatch | Woman (uncredited) | 2 episodes | 
| 1971 | Comedy Playhouse | Miss Travers | Episode: "The Importance of Being Hairy" | 
| 1971 | Bachelor Father | Housewife | Episode: "Economy Class" | 
| 1972 | Emma | Mini Series | |
| 1972 | My Wife Next Door | The Maid | Episode: "Joint Assignment" | 
| 1972 | Upstairs, Downstairs | Woman at Courtroom (uncredited) | Episode: "A Special Mischief" | 
| 1973 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Landlady (uncredited) | Episode: "Time-Table" | 
| 1973 | Z Cars | Customer (uncredited) | Episode: "Skin Game" | 
| 1973 | Pardon My Genie | Cousin Edna (uncredited) | Episode: "Commercial Success" | 
| 1973 | Oh, Father! | Draper's Assistant | Episode: "A Little Law" | 
| 1970–1974 | Play for Today | Mary (The Maid)
 Non-speaking extra  | 
2 episodes | 
| 1973–1974 | Thriller | Miss Cardiff
 Pub guest  | 
2 episodes | 
| 1974 | Happy Ever After | Hotel guest | Episode: "The Hotel" | 
| 1972–1974 | Steptoe and Son | Alice
 Mrs. Sheldon  | 
2 episodes | 
| 1975 | Second Time Around | Marjorie | Episode: "Father to Be (or Not to Be) | 
| 1975 | My Honourable Mrs | Miss Birdwood | Episode: "While the Cat's Away" | 
| 1975 | The Growing Pains of P.C. Penrose | Lady Magistrate | Episode: "Among Those Appearing" | 
| 1975 | The Dick Emery Show | Episode: #14.11 | |
| 1974–1975 | Within These Walls | Woman (uncredited) | 2 episodes | 
| 1977 | Beryl's Lot | Mrs. Norris | 4 episodes | 
| 1977 | General Hospital | Woman patient | Episode: "Sons and Daughters" | 
| 1977 | Ripping Yarns | Jehovah's Witnesses | Episode: "Murder at Moorstones Manor" | 
| 1977 | The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | The woman with fur | Episode: "The Unusual Shop" | 
| 1978 | Angels | Mrs. Black | Episode: "The Visitor" | 
| 1975–1979 | Fawlty Towers | Miss Agatha Tibbs | 12 episodes | 
| 1980 | Heartland | Mrs. Barnes | Episode: "Last Knockings" | 
| 1980 | How's Your Father? | Old Lady | Episode: "Fantasy Time" | 
| 1971–1980 | The Two Ronnies | Mrs. B
 Woman  | 
2 episodes | 
| 1981 | Blood Money | Molly Irons | 2 episodes | 
| 1982 | Terry and June | Mrs. Good | Episode: "The Auction" | 
| 1980–1983 | Potter | Lady Motorist
 Lily  | 
2 episodes | 
| 1983 | Juliet Bravo | Old Lady | Episode: "Doors" | 
| 1983 | Only Fools and Horses | First old lady | Episode: "Homesick" | 
| 1984 | The Fainthearted Feminist | Woman in supermarket | Episode: #1.2 | 
| 1984 | That's My Boy | Lady White | Episode: "Unfair Dismissal" | 
| 1984 | Ever Decreasing Circles | Old Lady | Episode: "The Tea Party" | 
| 1985 | Relative Strangers | Customer | Episode: #1.9 | 
| 1986 | Lenny Henry Tonite | Episode: "Pratt Outta Hell" | |
| 1985–1987 | The Mistress | Customer
 Elderly woman Lady in shop  | 
3 episodes | 
| 1987 | Hello Mum | Episode: #1.2 | 
References
- 1 2 "Gilly Flower – Person – National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
 - 1 2 "Gilly Flower". BFI. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019.
 - ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Fawlty Towers (1975, 79) Credits". www.screenonline.org.uk.
 - ↑ "Gilly Flower". www.aveleyman.com.
 
External links
- Gilly Flower at IMDb
 
