Fenella Fielding Awarded An OBE In Queen's Birthday Honours List

Fenella Fielding has been awarded an OBE for Services to Drama and Charity in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2018.

Miss Fielding describes news of her OBE as a "A huge surprise and it is a great honour for me. I'm terribly moved. It's lovely to have my work acknowledged in a serious way... It would never have occurred to me that this might happen. I'm very happy, as you can imagine."

Fenella's remarkable career spans seventy years and at ninety-years-old she continues to enthral audiences with her memoirs readings: 'Do You Mind If I Smoke?', most recently appearing at The Crazy Coqs/Brasserie Zédel, and the Century Club, with more appearances scheduled this year.

Reflecting on her seventy-year career, the youthful looking actress commented, "I can't believe it. It seems ridiculous. I haven't lived that long!" Fenella has appeared on stage professionally for sixty-six years. Her love and high regard for the theatre is wholly evident and she attributes her success to a strong stage career, "I don't think you can do anything really good without having done a lot of stage work. That's because you realise the result of what you're doing while you're doing it; the effect. It's crucial."

Fenella Fielding is best known for her film appearances in Carry On Screaming (1966), Doctor in Clover (1966) and Carry On Regardless (1961). She was the voice of the Blue Queen in Dougal and the Blue Cat (1970) and the telephone operator and loudspeaker voice in The Prisoner (1967). Her stage credits include the title roles in Hedda Gabler (1969) for which The Times referred to her performance as 'one of the theatrical experiences of a lifetime', and Colette (1970). She's fondly remembered for a number of appearances on the Morecambe & Wise Show (1969-1972) as well as playing The Vixen in Uncle Jack (early 1990s). Her most recent TV appearance was in Skins (2012).

Last night Fenella's thrilled friends expressed their joy, describing the OBE as "a thoroughly well-deserved award for a hard-working, jolly, kind soul". (Photo: Etienne Gilfillan)

Fenella Fielding turned ninety in November 2017. This coincided with the publication of her autobiography, 'Do You Mind If I Smoke?' co-written with Simon McKay and published by Peter Owen. Further details of Fenella's work, her book, memoirs readings and theatre appearances can be found on www.fenellafielding.com.

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