Jean Boht dies aged 91

Wednesday 13th September 2023, 11:57am

Bread. Image shows left to right: Nellie Boswell (Jean Boht), Aveline Boswell (Melanie Hill)
  • Comic actor Jean Boht has died aged 91
  • She is perhaps best remembered for playing Nellie Boswell in 1980s sitcom Bread
  • "Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned"

Jean Boht, the comic actor perhaps best remembered for playing Nellie Boswell in Bread, has died aged 91.

Boht appeared in all seven series of Bread as matriarch Nellie. The Liverpool-based comedy, written by Carla Lane which ran for 74 episodes between 1986 to 1991, focused on the Boswell family and how they exploited the system to get by in life.

Bread. Image shows from L to R: Adrian Boswell (Jonathon Morris), Joey Boswell (Peter Howitt), Grandad (Kenneth Waller), Nellie Boswell (Jean Boht), Jack Boswell (Victor McGuire), Julie (Caroline Milmoe), Billy Boswell (Nick Conway), Aveline Boswell (Gilly Coman), Freddie Boswell (Ronald Forfar). Copyright: BBC

Boht also appeared as a regular in comedies such as Brighton Belles, I Woke Up One Morning and Scully, and her guest roles included parts in Last Of The Summer Wine and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.

Her last comedy-related TV appearance was in 2015, as an interviewee in documentary series Britain's Best Loved Sitcoms.

A statement from her family said: "It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday, Tuesday September 12. Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned. She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession."

Below is an interview with Boht, conducted in 1994:

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