Old at last

But the star of touring drama The Shell Seekers, which plays Darlington Civic Theatre next week, is quick to point out that she's only 61 and has little time for thoughts of real retirement.

The actress, who famously started out as a 17-year-old playing a 90-year-old, admits she's finally growing into the roles that are currently on offer.

Recently, on TV, she was just-retired headmistress Lizzie Cameron in sitcom Life As We Know It with One Foot In the Grave's Richard Wilson as her husband. Currently, she's Penelope Keeling in the adaptation of Rosamund Pilcher's popular novel, which features three generations of laughter of heartbreak for a family living in Cornwall and London.

She says: "It was nice to play my own age, which is virtually what I'm doing in this play. I've grown into the parts I've played for about 20 years which is jolly nice."

Cole remains mumsy and matter-of-fact about the news that her actor husband Peter Birrel became too ill to take the tour and has been replaced by Timothy Carlton, who previously worked with Cole in Noises Off at The Savoy Theatre.

"If my husband couldn't do it this is a lovely substitute because he's such a nice actor. The illness is not quite resolved, but we are getting there. My husband is not in the cast now, which is disappointing."

She and Birrel are part of a recital trio which regularly performs, so Cole is hopeful that this collaboration can continue.

Of The Shell Seekers she says: "It's very true to Rosamund Pilcher's book and a wonderful adaptation because it's a big rambling book and Terence Brady and Charlotte Bigham have managed to get all the really important storylines in quite beautifully.

"We see my character Penelope when she's young and what's happened to her during the war and the present day near the end of her life. She has a bad heart and the family is up in arms about what to do because her father was a very famous painter and she owns some of his paintings. In so many families, unfortunately, wills and inheritance cause a great deal of resentment. It's splendid because it makes you laugh and makes you cry and it has a lot of resonance for everybody."

Cole feels the strength of the work remains the familiarity of the story because it features a family with sibling rivalry, feelings of not being loved and worries about what to do with a parent with health problems.

Has this made her reflect on her own provisions? She laughs and replies: "I've made my will years ago and updated it. I have one daughter, two brothers and a husband. It's very straightforward really.

"So many older people understandably want to do something for their children when they die, they want to leave them something and so often that isn't a possibility because paying for care takes over. I do think that it's incredibly difficult and, of course, the over-60s are the greatest proportion of our population.

"I'm not 80 you know and hopefully my mind will be reasonably alert to decide with my daughter what we shall do."

Tenko, Waiting For God and the batty Mrs Featherstone in Open All Hours remain often-repeated highlights of her career. How has she coped with the road to success? She replies: "I don't mind fame at all. No matter what the job you do is, people come up and say 'I like what you do' and that doesn't matter whether you're an actor, a greengrocer or a bank manager. People in this country are very friendly and they don't intrude. I'm not a rock star or anything like that, so I don't have screaming kids coming at me, so it's a rather different because people tend to be very sweet and very nice."

She has two other projects in mind at the moment, but prefers to discuss her current play. However, a question about the attitude of TV bosses towards the over-55s does strike a nerve.

Cole thunders: "Where does TV leave a lot of accomplished actresses over a certain age? They are now doing theatre and radio. In radio we get really lovely scripts and I think it's a great shame about television because I think that TV drama should reflect life as we know it.

"The demographics of this country are what they are. I find it very silly of TV executives not to realise that the over-55s actually have the most free time; have the most money to spend and are actually the ones who watch television the most, but it's not reflected in what we're offered.

"I actually pick and choose what I watch these days and workwise I've been very lucky that I now don't feel I have to be chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

She confesses that radio - where she appears as a familiar voice - now dominates a lot of her time. As a listener, Radio 4's The Archers, Women's Hour, Book at Bedtime, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue and Radio 3's Musician Of The Week are particular favourites.

Back to the matter-of-fact, she adds: "I tend to be somebody who takes whatever comes along. Sometimes my agent and I work towards something, but, otherwise, I tend to like my Somerset home and as long as I can earn enough to keep us in our home then it's fine by me. It takes a lot to get me away, I have to be prised out with a crowbar."

The Shell Seekers runs from Monday until Saturday at Darlington's Civic Theatre. Box Office: (01325) 486555