All Creatures star Patricia Hodge's life off-screen from age to sad personal loss

Patricia Hodge entered the beloved role of Mrs Pumphrey in 'All Creatures Great and Small' after the renowned Dame Diana Rigg's death.

Now at 78, the Lincolnshire-born star shines with a career that spans across memorable performances, such as her lead in 'Jemima Shore Investigates' and as the hilariously poised Penny, mother to Miranda Hart in 'Miranda'. Her personal life includes treasuring her time as a mother of two.

Her longstanding marriage to Peter Douglas Owen concluded with his death in 2016, a union blossoming since 1976. She was graced with an OBE for her drama contributions in the year following her husband's death.

Hodge reflected on a poignant moment with Sophie Farrah about receiving her OBE, sharing: "The day it arrived happened to be my late husband Peter's birthday, and I also had to go to a friend's memorial, so it was a bit of a gloomy day really."

With candour, she recalled the mix-up with the post: "I opened the post box and saw this rather flimsy envelope - it said something about the cabinet office but I thought that it was probably just a political pamphlet because it was coming up to the election - sometimes they put things on the envelope to make you think it's terribly important! So I thought 'yeah, yeah...'!"

Even with such an honour, Hodge admitted she initially kept the commendation under wraps from everyone, including her sons Alexander and Edward, admitting she felt "a bit embarrassed and stunned".

Throughout her illustrious career, Hodge has forged strong bonds, particularly cherishing the camaraderie shared with Miranda Hart and others from the comedy series 'Miranda'.

She revealed: "We are all great friends in real life. Miranda actually calls me 'mum two', she has her own really lovely mother who, by the way, is not like my character in the show."

Patricia Hodge enjoys her tranquil existence by the river in Barnes, a peaceful enclave in South West London.

Life took a turn for Patricia following the passing of her husband after 42 years of marriage; she admits that her world is now "very different".

The move to Barnes was prompted by her late spouse's involvement in the music industry, keeping him linked to the iconic Olympic Studios.

On the subject of the latest season of All Creatures, Patricia shared her sentiments about saying goodbye to the animal actor playing her pet on screen.

She explained: "It was lovely to see Derek again but he has now reached retirement age and has put his paws up and having a well-deserved rest.

"He has his own stand-in, Dora. And our wonderful trainer Jill has trained Dora up very well. It's uncanny really. Dora is slightly smaller, but she's a pretty spot-on lookalike for Derek."