According to Dora

According to Dora, subtitled A Bryan's Eye View on the World, was a starring vehicle for Southport born actress/comedienne Dora Bryan who had made her showbiz debut as a child in pantomime in Manchester. 

After spending eight years in rep she headed for London and was cast in a production of Noel Coward's Private Lives, changing her name from Dora May Broadbent to Dora Bryant, but a printing error showed her as Dora Bryan and that's how she remained. Dora proved a versatile and accomplished character actress with scene-stealing comic timing and by the time she was given this series in 1968, she was established as a veteran of stage, films and television. 

In 1962 she won a BAFTA (Best British Actress) for the role of Helen, the sluttish mother of Rita Tushingham in the kitchen-sink drama movie A Taste of Honey. According to Dora featured a different topic each week centred round subjects such as travel, beauty, transportation and the home and a number of famous comedy faces appeared in support, including Clive Dunn, Graham Stark, John Junkin, Wilfrid Brambell and Carry On stalwarts Kenneth Connor and Joan Sims. 

In 2000 Dora joined the cast of the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine as Aunt Roz Utterthwaite. In 1996, she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to acting. She passed away in 2014.

Published on November 26th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.