Kathy Staff Kathy Staff Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress, well known for her work on British television. She is most famous for her portrayal of Nora Batty on the longest running sitcom in the world, "Last of the Summer Wine". Born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, Staff was best known for her role as one of the main characters, Nora Batty, in the long-running BBC sitcom "Last of the Summer Wine". She played Nora Batty from the pilot episode in 1973 (though in the pilot and first series, she was referred to as
Television comedy is true to say that certain genres of comedy transfer to the small screen more successfully than others. The "situation comedy", or sitcom, has been the most common, successful and culturally significant type of television comedy. As the name suggests, these programs feature recurring characters placed in humorous situations. The first television sitcom was "Pinwright's Progress", ten episodes being broadcast on the BBC between 1946 - 1947. Since the early 1950s with "Hancock's Half Hour" in the UK, (derived from a radio show) and I Love Lucy and spin-offs The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy in the United States, sitcoms