Career: In 1959, Rigg signed a five-year contract with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her move to TV came in 1965 when she was offered the role of Emma Peel in The Avengers, but the demand for interviews and photographs proved too much, forcing her to quit in 1967. She went on to star in various movies, including On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Julius Caesar and The Great Muppet Caper, but by the 1980s her screen success was fading. However, she returned to form in 1989 in the award-winning miniseries Mother Love, and has appeared continually on stage, film and TV ever since. In 2013, she made a memorable Doctor Who villain alongside Matt Smith and her real-life daughter Rachael Stirling, and has a regular role in the acclaimed Game of Thrones.

Career: Reid's big break came on radio when she played naughty schoolgirl Monica in Educating Archie. Comedy roles followed in a number of TV programmes, including The Benny Hill Show, Bold as Brass, Beryl Reid Says Good Evening, Alcock and Gander, and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4. Heavily in-demand, she made countless one-off guest appearances in the likes of Cracker, Boon, Bergerac, Minder, Worzel Gummidge, Agony, and The Goodies. Away from comedy, she won a Tony award on Broadway for playing the lead in The Killing of Sister George, a role she recreated in the film version. She won a lifetime achievement award at The British Comedy Awards in 1991. She died on October 13, 1996, at the age of 77.