As seen on their TV programme Great Canal Journeys, Prunella endeared themselves to millions of fans with her stoicism in the face of her illness, which she was diagnosed with in 2013 after years of symptoms.

It was in 2001 that Timothy first noticed signs of his wife’s condition, when he saw her perform in a play and realised she was ‘not completely in character’.

Timothy movingly told in his 2023 memoir: ‘One thought in particular almost floored me: what if it’s Alzheimer’s?’

Besides her most famous role, Prunella had parts in hundreds of television, theatre, film and radio productions.