Stephanie Beacham, who plays Maureen, is currently celebrating fifty glorious years in showbusiness.

Hi Stephanie. What drew you to this part?

I have played my share of hard-edged women in my career, but I feel that the part of Maureen is like coming home: I've worked around the world and now I'm playing a woman who comes from North London, not a million miles from where I started out. I loved Richard's scripts. At first you think they sound like normal speech, but the word structure is wonderfully comedic - and genuinely difficult to learn. It's rhythmic, like poetry. And of course the cast is just wonderful.

To have Russ Abbot as my husband was too good to resist. There is nothing he hasn't got a joke about. He is like Fagin's coat, all pockets. He must have twenty-six thousand jokes in his head! He's a darling.

How would you describe Maureen?

Well, I adore her. She's very straight, no-nonsense and she's unlike anyone I've played before. She's an extremely nice woman, but she will tell you exactly what she thinks. Maureen is very happily married to John who was a plumber, and she held his diary. She always knew where he was - if he was around with Mrs Harris she'd know because she'd booked it. They have a very strong and good marriage.

What's the secret to that happy marriage?

John does what Maureen tells him - that's the answer to everything, isn't it? Mark, their son, has taken a little time settling down. Some people might think he hasn't succeeded very well in life, but he's coming round. They were very disappointed that he hadn't taken over the business. I don't normally play someone in a happy marriage and what a glorious change of pace for me. Maureen makes the best of everything.

What does she think of the men around her?

Men are a different species. She likes to talk to her girlfriends.

Maureen seems to be refusing to grow old?

She takes care of her appearance. Maureen invented her look in the sixties and eighties and probably watched Dynasty. I don't identify with her look - the white tips on the nails, rather pale on the lipstick and heavy on the lip liner. But we've all got a friend who's a Maureen. She's the one who brings two bottles of champagne to the party, the over-generous one who arranges the jolly, the tickets; she's lovely to play. As far as she's concerned she's still young - what is all this business with people who let their hair go? She's also up with social media - she has a car accident and the first thing she does is update her status on Facebook.

How does she get on with her mother?

Well, mum is played by the great June Whitfield. Mum enjoys the odd drink, which creates a few problems. She keeps being sent into an old people's home but lands back with John and Maureen. But they don't get hysterical about her. Maureen's a coper.

Did you always want to act?

My original plan was to teach deaf children to dance. When I became an actress instead I planned to do only French films and Shakespeare. My aunt referred to my career as 'gallivanting'. If I could go back I'd spend more time doing Shakespeare and less making really bad horror movies. By the time I did The Colbys I was in my mid-30s, a single parent with a failed marriage behind me. But suddenly my daughters and I were living life in technicolour, in America, by the seaside, under the sun, it was wonderful.

Are you enjoying doing more comedy as you get older?

Absolutely. It feels like a complete re-invention. I feel so privileged to be working with Russ Abbot and June Whitfield. Russ seems to respect my acting approach and I absolutely absorb his comedic approach, so there's a mutual respect. June and I have worked together before and I adore her.

Would you ever consider retiring?

Not really, I just keep on having so many fabulous new experiences. I might expect to be the granny or the dowager at the end of the table ruining everyone's lives, but Boomers is about people of a pensionable age and we are the stars of the show. I'm not sure this has happened much before. Such a rich source of humour. It's rather lovely having alighted on this lily pond and be wobbling around on it.

I'm enjoying life and having fun, always looking forward to things. It's not about working and not working but about living. I am choosing productions that interest me. I can't believe how much I still learn on a daily basis about so much. I'm always greedy - a terrible magpie. I grab things. Providing you can still learn lines, age isn't an issue in our job. Just look at June.

You are very well known for your ageless beauty but have you ever considered plastic surgery?

Well, I have looked in the mirror and thought 'no, that is not the way to go.' I am physically frightened at the thought of going under the knife and have avoided anything like that, including Botox. I'm not anti-surgery but I wouldn't want to end up looking like Joan Rivers. What has she done to herself?

Your travelling probably keeps you busy too?

I admit to being a bit of a nomad: I am selling a place in Morocco, I have a house in Spain, I still have places in Malibu and London, and I live in a series of hovels! The only difficulty is my dogs because they've got fatter so even more expensive to cart around now. I had an assistant bring them over from America as service dogs because I am very deaf. One's a Jack Russell Shitzu with an underbite and if she were a child you'd think 'I don't care about your education, it's the orthodontics I'm going to spend my money on!' The other runs around on three legs because she was beaten as a baby and I picked her up half dead in Houston, Texas. I'm devoted to the ridiculous creatures!

Tell us more about your deafness...

I was born completely deaf in one ear and used to get called 'Deaf Steph' at school and the hurt will live with me forever. As a child, being deaf was dreadfully isolating, but I'm lucky to have any hearing at all. My mother Joan had chickenpox when she was pregnant, so I was born with no nerve endings in my right ear and I have 80% hearing in my left. The more that can be understood about deafness the better, especially as so many older people suffer from it.

I realised early on that deafness is often associated with stupidity so I always had a retort and felt I had to prove myself. I need down time and am much more of a loner than I would be with full hearing. One on one I'm deeply communicative but take me to a party and I'm snooty because I can't actually hear anything.

How do you get on with modern technology?

I do use the internet a lot - in fact I met my partner Bernie via the internet! A mutual friend thought we might get on and gave him my email address. He's a British doctor living in Spain. It was dizzying - we exchanged emails of such depth. Three weeks later he flew to my home in Malibu and as soon as we met I felt I knew his soul. I thoroughly recommend falling in love if you want to look ten years younger!

What else do you do to defy the passing years?

I brought out my own range of skincare products with Harley Street Skin Care. I don't want to deny my years, but I do want to look fabulous whatever my age. I've always had a Mediterranean diet - no bread but plenty of fruit, vegetables and salad. I packed up smoking ten years ago and don't drink. I also do Pilates and yoga regularly and always walk the dogs twice a day. I guess I've just learned to appreciate life and not to worry about what's round the corner.

Do you enjoy being a grandmother?

Enormously. I'm a granny or 'glamma' as my grandson Jude, 14, calls me. He lives in the UK and he's fab and a very good looking boy. I think we get to be much better grandparents than we were parents. You get another go, but you don't have to take them to the dentist. You know there's a different sort of encouragement. You've got a slight distance - it's not your problem. It's a love that is quite extraordinary. Last year I took Trollied just so I could be in Bristol with him. Mind you, I had to audition three times for the part of Lorraine. And it was worth it. Jude comes and spends a month with me in the summer holidays. He's terribly funny.

How are you finding getting older?

I think we're the luckiest generation ever. We had no war, the full national health, grammar schools, the best free education and good grants to study anything we wanted to. We are such a lucky generation. But I have to admit that my brain doesn't absorb the lines as well as it used to. I have to concentrate on the moment and I can't be nattering away between takes. I've noticed all of the cast are like that.

It sounds as if you have plenty to keep you busy when you are not working?

I love my garden and doing up houses, looking at architectural features and copying them. I've also got so much travelling to do!

Boomers is about long-standing friendships. Who is your longest standing friend?

My Sister DiDI.

Who will Boomers appeal to?

Everyone who watches it.

What would be your epitaph?

'Well I guess that's it for now, folks'.