Laughter and tears at Dame Penelope Keith funeral

Laughter and tears at Dame Penelope Keith funeral By Zac Sherratt, South East and Joshua Askew Dame Penelope Keith's ceremonial has been hailed as "wonderful, beauteous and perfectly amazing" by her friends. The actress, who starred in The Good Life and To The Manor Born, "died peacefully whilst surviving with cancer at her home" on 29 June at the age of 86. Crowds lined the streets to say their goodbyes to the "very peculiar lady" as her coffin travelled through her hometown of Milford in Surrey earlier the service at Guildford Cathedral. Broadcaster, writer and former friend Gyles Brandreth said the service was "filled with a mix of sadness but laughter and gratitude as well because we were celebrating a great actress". He told BBC Radio Surrey: "It was a fantastic way to remember a singular person." Posting on X later, he said: "There was laughter and tears at Guildford Cathedral this morning - a genuinely beautiful and profoundly moving funeral service for Dame Penelope Keith - what a woman and what a flawless service." "It caught her completely. She was very special." Brandreth described Dame Penelope ch as one of the nicest and kindest people. "Her love of Surrey was in everything she did," he said. "Her sense of community... belonging and working for the community was considerable." Sarah Cliff told BBC Radio Surrey Dame Penelope had been part of her childhood. "[She] was known to me as Auntie Penny", said Cliff. "She was great fun". Cliff, the daughter of the acting couple Michael Robbins and Hal Dyer, added that the service was "beautiful". "I've never been to this cathedral. It's airy, it's light, it's lovely," she said. Doreen Walford said she and the late actress went back a long way. She told BBC Radio Surrey the pair used to live nearby and they had worked together. "Everybody could talk to her," she said. On seeing the procession, she added: "I americium truthful gladsome I came. It was perfectly amazing."