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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jessica Gibb

Jo Kendall dead - I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again star dies as John Cleese pays tribute

Tributes have been paid to Jo Kendall, who has died at the age of 83.

The actress and comedian starred in the classic BBC show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.

Playing Peggy Skilbeck in Emmerdale in 1972, she had the first ever line of the iconic soap.

The star spent her final days in Denville Hall, a London retirement home created especially for acting and theatre stars.

Tributes have poured in including one from John Cleese, who appeared alongside her in the 1963 Cambridge Footlights revue Cambridge Circus.

Jo Kendall had the first ever line in Emmerdale, playing Peggy Skilbeck (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She starred in films Scum and Howard’s End too (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"I woke to hear of dear Jo Kendall’s death," Cleese wrote on Twitter.

"She was in the 1963 Cambridge Footlights Revue which took her, Tim Brooke Taylor, Bill Oddie, David Hatch, Humphrey Barclay and me into Show Business. Jo performed in over 100 ‘I’m sorry I’ll read that Again’ shows and the 1948 show.

"She was a very likeable, cheerful, friendly woman - a delight to work with.

"I got to know her well on the 1964 Tour of New Zealand, and subsequently, our appearances on and off Broadway.

Comedy legend John Cleese has paid tribute to his friend (Getty)

"She was an integral part of the ISIRTA team and we did countless ‘John and Mary’ sketches.

"I have many happy memories of her RIP Jo Ke."

She starred in hit BBC children’s series Marlene Marlowe Investigates, playing feisty Aunt Maud.

Roles in films Scum and Howard’s End followed

She also had a part in Grange Hill in the 1980s, playing the mother of Roland Browning.

She had been a regular on the BBC Radio 4 sketch series The Burkiss Way and appeared in the opening episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Fans described today as a "sad day for comedy", as tributes swept through social media from those who had enjoyed following her showbiz journey.

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