She's famous for those phone ads, but there's so much more to the woman who played Beattie than 'You got an ology!'

You got an ology!" are words that actress Maureen Lipman will never be allowed to forget. She is recognised everywhere as Beattie, the grey-haired grandmother from the BT ads, but says she doesn't mind.

"It wasn't my most glamorous role," she laughs. "But I think people liked Beattie. Maybe she reminded them of old ladies they knew."

Maureen was in Malvern starring in the comedy Glorious! a play about Florence Jenkins, an American eccentric, who made a career out of singing, despite not being able to hit a single note.

Unusually for a role, Maureen had to learn to sing -- badly.

"It wasn't too difficult. I just sang very loudly and tried to sing a bit worse than usual. I didn't want to overdo it," says Maureen, who has a soft spot for Florence.

"She obviously believed in herself and enjoyed herself. It's been a great role."

The much-loved actress hasn't always played eccentric old ladies and dotty grandmothers. A star of stage, screen and television she became well-known when she played an agony aunt in the TV sitcom Agony.

She has appeared in plays in the West End and films like Carry On Columbus, Educating Rita and The Pianist.

She has also written several funny books including How Was It For You? and Thank You For Having Me.

Happily married to playwright Jack Rosenthal until his death from cancer last year Maureen is now a strong supporter of Macmillan Cancer Relief.

So when she was invited to the World's Biggest Coffee Morning while appearing on stage in Malvern she jumped at the chance.

Talking at the coffee morning, she said the Macmillan nurses had been a great support to her and her family when Jack was ill.

"They truly are angels and they are there when you need them," said Maureen.

Her husband died of myeloma, a little-known killer which attacks the plasma cells found in bone marrow responsible for protecting the body against infection.

Maureen described it as "the less well-known cousin of leukemia" and is working to raise awareness of the disease as an honorary patron of the International Myeloma Foundation.

Married for more than 30 years the couple met when they were both working on Coronation Street in the 1960s, her as an actress and him as a scriptwriter.

She says her daughter Amy is very much like her late husband.

"She's a writer too. I got to play the lead role in Sitting Pretty, a play she wrote about a middle-aged woman after the original actress dropped out. I only had a weekend to learn the script but it was very successful and ended up touring the country."

Maureen, who has rarely been out of work since she began acting in the 1960s, plans to carry on as long as interesting parts are offered.

"Working in the theatre is in my family, the Russian side of it. It skipped a generation but my mother always encouraged me to go on stage. I can't imagine not acting really."