John Cleese leads tributes to Spalding-area Jo Kendall, star of BBC radio shows and ITV's Emmerdale

Comedian John Cleese has paid tribute to a ‘cheerful’ Spalding area star, who died last week after a rich and varied career.

The Fawlty Towers and Monty Python star reacted to the sad news that Jo Kendall, an actress who was the first person to speak on ITV’s soap Emmerdale Farm as Peggy Skilbeck, has died aged 83.

Born in Spalding on February 17, 1938, Jo’s career spanned nearly 60 years, starting out as part of the Cambridge Footlights revue in 1963 where she met Cleese, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke Taylor to name a few, and going on to take up roles in The Pallisers, Howards’ End and Grange Hill, where she played Roland’s mum.

Jo, who married Holbeach St Marks farmer Frederick J. Bowd in 1958, trod the boards on Broadway and London’s West End - and was a true star of radio comedy.

She was a regular on classic show I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again with many of her Footlights friends, a panel member on the first episode of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and featured in Radio 4’s surrealist sketch show The Burkiss Way.

She also played Lady Cynthia Fitzmelon in the opening episode of the radio broadcast of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Her parents were Walter G Kendall and Doreen (nee Ashton).

In a series of Twitter posts on Saturday, Mr Cleese recalled his happy memories of Jo. He said: “I woke to hear of dear Jo Kendall’s death. 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.”

He continued: “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

“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.”

Jo died on January 27 at Denville Hall in London, a retirement home for professional actors, actresses and other theatrical professions having previously lived in Suffolk.

Many others have taken to social media to pay their respects to the star.

Former Radio 4 news presenter Alice Arnold tweeted to say: “Jo was a huge support to me when I was a young whippersnapper…stayed with her when I toured…always so kind to me.”