My life through a lens: 75-year-old actress Dame Maureen Lipman

75-year-old actress Dame Maureen Lipman shares the stories behind her favorite photos

1954: I’m about eight years old here. Most years my brother Geoffrey and I were photographed. As you can see, I got a perm. My mom was so upset that I didn’t have her beautiful curly hair, so once a year these stinky things spilled over my head and I came out like my brain had exploded and had a stroke. I will never forget the horrible peroxide smell when I first washed it.

1968: This is a commercial for Up The Junction, my first and biggest role in a movie – I’m left. It was not well received, in part because it was a choice for the TV version of Ken Loach. The film was directed by Peter Collinson, who also did The Italian Job. I loved movies but didn’t shoot a lot, which was fair: I didn’t look like a movie star.

1979: Agony became a successful sitcom in three series. I played a tormented aunt whose personal life is in chaos. Simone Williams [pictured with Maureen] On screen he was my husband and still is my friend. My character oscillates between work, two gay friends, and a hot-tempered mother. I’ll never understand why this didn’t happen again: it was revolutionary

1988: BT’s commercials with Beattie were an absolutely fantastic idea and I didn’t expect anyone to fly like them. I’ve auditioned with so many actresses and wondered if I got the job because I could improvise – I did a lot of sketches that my mom called a kosher butcher. We placed 55 listings over a two-year period, but it didn’t do very well as it was a non-repeat purchase. I got about £1,500 for each ad. Some thought I was rich by making them, but I wasn’t

1990: My late husband Jack [Rosenthal] Our son Adam and our very sultry looking daughter Amy are well looked after on holiday in Mallorca. We are not a family of boats so someone else was using the boat – they just aren’t in the photo. I really like Mallorca and it keeps its personality no matter how many tourists come. It’s a beautiful island, especially places like Deià and a place I want to return to soon.

1996: This is a photo taken in my garden with my mother and daughter. You can see that we are related. Amy often takes a taxi and is asked if she is related to me, but she looks more like her father, who died in 2004. She’s a great storyteller. His latest comedy, The Party Girls, will come to life if the situation permits.

1999: I loved doing Oklahoma! With Hugh Jackman at the National Theatre. It was one of his first big jobs and he’s one of the best guys in show business. I remember once taking his wife, Deb, on stage after she changed her clothes from the show. She knew how to laugh and sing at the same time, she didn’t hesitate. It was a three-hour show that we played eight times a week. I’ve been the oldest member of the cast for nearly 25 years, but I never let that stop me.

2021: It was gorgeous when the Queen visited the Coronation Street set. It was dazzling, it ran over the cobblestones – everyone fell in love with it. We got tired when he left, but we moved on to another engagement. I was the stewardess Lillian Spencer on the show in 2002, but now I play Evelyn Plummer (I’m with Evelyn’s dog, Cerberus). I’ll never forget to win Best Newcomer at the 2019 Inside Soap Awards: over 50 years of photography since getting into acting