Diane Langton has died aged 77. The actress, who had a showbiz career spanning several decades, was best known for roles on Only Fools and Horses, Hollyoaks and the Carry On movies.
Her agent, Shane Collins, announced the news of the star’s death on Wednesday (January 15) with a statement confirming: “I am sad to say that Diane Langton passed away this morning.”
Adding a comment about Diane’s incredible career, which began in the 1950s, her agent continued: “Diane had a rich and remarkable career appearing on Stage, in Films, and on television, including playing the iconic Nana Mqueen in Hollyoaks from 2007 to the present day.
“Diane trained at the Corona Academy and started her professional career as a dancer, touring with ballet companies throughout Europe, followed by appearances on That Was the Week That Was and The London Palladium.”
June Snell was the ex-girlfriend of hooky goods dealer Del Boy Trotter
(Image: BBC)
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
Only Fools graced our screens from 1981 to 2003, and throughout its run, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter (portrayed by David Jason) had numerous romantic entanglements before finally finding stability with Raquel Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones). One of these past relationships was with June Snell, an ex-girlfriend who re-entered Del’s life in the 1985 episode titled Happy Returns.
In this episode, Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) finds himself falling for a local newsagent worker named Debbie. In a surprising turn of events, Del Boy rescues a young lad from being hit by a car, only to later find out that the boy is fleeing home after getting into trouble for deflating the tyres on the Trotters’ Reliant Robin.
In an attempt to assist the boy, Del escorts him home and is stunned when he discovers the boy’s mother is his former sweetheart, June Snell, played by Diane Langton. When he learns that June has a 19 year old daughter named Debbie, Del immediately assumes he must be her father and cautions Rodney to keep his distance, under the impression they might be related.
Del Boy and June Snell attend the opera in hilarious Only Fools and Horses scenes
(Image: BBC)
However, June discloses that Debbie’s real father is Albie Littlewood, one of Del’s old mates who tragically lost his life after taking a shortcut across a railway line. After this revelation, Del and June go their separate ways once more, reports the Mirror.
However, in the 1986 Christmas special A Royal Flush, June makes a surprise return. As Rodney tries to charm Lady Victoria Marsham Hales (Sarah Duncan), Del unexpectedly turns up at the opera with June on his arm.
Del and June were spotted behaving rather immaturely, causing disruptions during the performances and annoying fellow audience members. This marked the last time June Snell appeared on Only Fools and Horses, so what has the actress been up to since then?
Diane Langton, who portrayed June Snell, is no newcomer to television, having starred in Carry On films. The 77 year old has also featured in a host of other popular TV shows over the years, including Heartbeat, EastEnders, Holby City, The Bill, Bergerac, Minder, Streets Apart, Doctors, Ashes to Ashes, and many more.
Diane Langton played another bold character in Hollyoaks
(Image: Channel 4)
Despite the years that have passed since her Only Fools stint, the actress remained as captivating and stylish as she was in the ’80s. Hollyoaks fans will recognise Diane as Nana McQueen, a character she played on and off since 2007.
Her soap character is fiery and always has a scheme or two in the works. During her tenure on the Channel 4 soap, Nana has committed insurance fraud by burgling her own home, made moves on her granddaughter’s boyfriend, and is generally outrageous.
Despite her flamboyant fashion and ‘false’ lashes, Nana was a character with a heart of gold. Diane was undeniably a Hollyoaks icon, bringing the same joy and entertainment to her role as she did when she portrayed June Snell on Only Fools many years ago.