The well-loved character actress will be remembered for her high culture triumphs, including her memorable appearance in an Alan Bennett Talking Heads monologue and the touching ITV drama Lost For Words, in which she played a stroke victim.

She also dabbled in the world of lowculture, with similar success. Many TV sitcoms in the 1980s were instantly forgettable, but we still have a soft spot for Thora’s turn as Captain Ridley in the Salvation Army sitcom Hallelujah – especially the opening sequence, which featured a cheerful Thora marching down the street with her pals from the Sally Army band.

We will also remember her for a long-running role in Last of the Summer Wine and, of course, her legendary stairlift adverts – the back pages of the Saturday newspapers will seem empty without them.

Dame Thora – we salute you.

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