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Dame Pat Routledge, who has died at the age of 96, made her mark on the national consciousness as the snobby Hyacinth Bouquet.

Declaring it was "said Bouquet," the character ran roughshod over her patient husband and confused neighbours in the popular sitcom, one of Britain's best-loved comedies in the 1990s.

Acting like a duchess while living in a suburban area, Bucket's over-the-top status-seeking schemes were ultimately destined to failure—while she battled to maintain her dignity.

It was Lady Routledge's most famous role in a professional life that included her earn stage honors on each side of the Atlantic, emerge as the star of the playwright's celebrated TV monologues, and star as BBC1's investigative Hetty Wainthropp.

Early Life and Start in Acting

Katherine Patricia Routledge was delivered in Merseyside on 17 February 1929.

Her dad was a clothier and she later recalled sheltering from enemy air raids in the basement of his shop throughout the war.

She majored in English at nearby Liverpool University and intended to become a teacher. Instead, she joined the local theatre before studying at the Bristol drama school.

Her prosperous acting journey took her from the regions to the London theatre district, and eventually to Broadway, where the composer chose her to star in his stage production 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 1976.

She had previously received a Tony award for her acting in Darling of the Day.

She could move effortlessly from lighthearted plays to serious drama.

She progressed from Shakespeare's birthplace, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later to the London's national stage in London.

There, her starring part in the theatre production Carousel involved her performing the rousing You'll Never Walk Alone.

There were also various minor movie parts, especially in 1967's To Sir, With Love, and the Jerry Lewis comedy outing Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River.

Her stage and radio performances demonstrated her versatility and earned her awards, but it was television that provided Routledge with her most high profile characters.

Television Breakthrough and Iconic Characters

Early small-screen work included popular programmes like Z Cars and Steptoe and Son.

And later, one of Britain's esteemed writers, Alan Bennett, wrote a set of remarkable Talking Heads TV solos for her.

Routledge conquered her initial hesitation to perform his material and excelled as A Woman of No Importance and A Lady of Letters.

She later play a isolated, mid-life shop assistant tipped into a relationship with a unconventional foot doctor in Bennett's Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet.

A humorous turn as the larger-than-life character on The Victoria Wood Show resulted in the creation of Mrs. Bouquet.

Routledge remembered being given the episodes by the writer, the screenwriter—known for Last of the Summer Wine and Open All Hours.

"I had opened the pages for a moment at one o'clock in the night," she said, "I read straight through and the character leapt off the page. I recognized that woman, I knew several of that woman."

Keeping Up Appearances ran for five seasons and included four Christmas specials.

In a documentary, she later claimed that admirers had included Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Pope Benedict XVI.

It became BBC Worldwide's most exported show of all time and meant Routledge was recognised as distant as Africa.

For her work on the comedy, she was chosen Britain's all-time best-loved actor in 1996, but after half a decade in the part, she felt it was the moment for a new direction.

"I decided to end it to an end," she explained, "and, of course, the BBC didn’t care for very much."

She believed that the writer was beginning to repeat ideas and mentioned a bit of guidance from the comedian, the comic.

"He made sure to finish with people saying, ‘Oh, aren’t you doing any more?’ she recalled, instead of people remarking, ‘Is that still on?’"

Subsequent Work and Private Life

Portraying the unassuming but astute detective in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates gave her ongoing success on TV, but she always called the theatre as "the real challenge."

Long after she ceased acting frequently on screen, Routledge made stage travels equally in the UK and overseas.

If interviewers posed the inevitable inquiry, she asked them to write the word withdrawal because, she clarified: "It's not in my lexicon."

She never wed or raised children, but told interviewers of a couple of great affairs in her youth, including one with a wedded man.

"I felt remorse and an acute feeling that there would be loss," she confessed. "I guess I persuaded myself that it was acceptable for the moment as his union was no a living thing."

Instead, she devoted herself to her art, honoring it with the talent, dedication and devotion that were consistently respected by her colleagues.

She was scathing about the broadcaster's choice in 2016 to bring back Keeping Up Appearances, but this time set in the 1950s and starring a younger version of her character.

Challenging the Corporation's approach of resurrecting old comedies she said, "Why are they attempting this kind of project, they must be out of ideas."

She had previously clashed with the BBC over their decision to not order a film she had authored about the writer the children's author (she was a supporter of the literary group), which eventually broadcast on another network.

Upon reaching 90, she persisted to reside peacefully in the city, where she occupied herself raising money for the church structure.

In 2017, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the British honors system but—in contrast to Hyacinth—honors did not affect her head.

Lady Patricia always stated she credited her north of England upbringing and stable family for giving her practicality with her time and her finances.

Even so, she admitted that, if any additional cash come her way, she'd certainly spend it on "several bottles of sparkling wine"—an love of the finer things in life that she shared with her most famous character.

"I was never theatre-obsessed," she said. "I am not theatre-obsessed now. Nobody's as amazed than I am that I have, actually, devoted my career pursuing this."