Dame Patricia Routledge, the British actress best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96.

Her agent confirmed in a statement that she “died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love,” adding that even in her later years “her passion for work and connecting with audiences never waned.”

Routledge became a household name in The Gambia in the late 1990s when Keeping Up Appearances was broadcast on GRTS.

Her character, the comically snobbish Hyacinth Bucket — who insisted her surname be pronounced “Bouquet” — won her a loyal following among Gambian viewers, who fondly recall the show as one of the era’s most popular imports.

Born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in 1929, Dame Patricia studied English Language and Literature at the University of Liverpool before making her stage debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952.

Over a career spanning decades, she enjoyed success on stage, in film, and on television, but it was Keeping Up Appearances that brought her worldwide recognition, including in The Gambia.

She will be remembered both for her remarkable career and for the laughter she brought into Gambian homes.