Theatre Lipman worked extensively in the theatre following her début in a stage production of
The Knack at the
Watford Palace Theatre. In order to get the post, she pretended that a documentary producer wanted to follow her finding her first job – this was a lie but it seemed to work. Lipman was a member of
Laurence Olivier's
National Theatre Company at the
Old Vic from 1971 to 1973 and of the
Royal Shakespeare Company for its 1973
Stratford season. Lipman has continued to work in the theatre for more than fifty years, playing, among other roles, Aunt Eller in the National Theatre's
Oklahoma!. From October 2010 to February 2011, Lipman starred in a production of
J.B. Priestley's
When We Are Married at the
Garrick Theatre. In 2012, she directed and appeared in a production of
Barefoot in the Park on tour and starred in
Old Money at
Hampstead Theatre. In 2013, she starred in
Daytona at the
Park Theatre followed by a tour, and in 2014 a season at the
Theatre Royal Haymarket. In 2015, she starred with
James Dreyfus in
Mary Chase's play
Harvey at
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, on tour and at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. In 2016, she starred in
My Mother Said I Never Should at the
St. James Theatre. In 2017, she starred with
Felicity Kendal in a revival of
Lettice and Lovage at the
Menier Chocolate Factory. In 2018, she starred with
Martin Shaw in
The Best Man at the
Playhouse Theatre, as well as returning to the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time in fifty years with a one-woman show of jokes and storytelling called
Up For It.
Television Lipman's first television role was in
The Inquisitors opposite
Diana Dors; other early appearances included the sitcoms
The Lovers, and
Doctor at Large, and a role in
The Evacuees (1975). Lipman first gained prominence on television in the situation comedy
Agony (1979–81), in which she played an
agony aunt with a troubled private life. In her role as Stella Craven in ''
Smiley's People'' (1982), Lipman appeared with
Alec Guinness. She performed the
Joyce Grenfell monologue
The Committee for the first time on
The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog, which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by
Channel 4 in 1983. '' She played the lead role in the television series
All at No 20 (1986–87) and took on a range of diverse characters when starring in the series of comedy plays
About Face (1989–91). She is known for playing
Joyce Grenfell in the biographical show
Re: Joyce!, which she co-wrote with
James Roose-Evans. In 1996 she appeared in the BBC comedy drama
Eskimo Day, written by husband
Jack Rosenthal and directed by
Piers Haggard, about the trials and tribulations of three young would-be students as they arrive with their families at
Queens' College, Cambridge, on interview day. There was a sequel,
Cold Enough for Snow, in 1997. She appeared as snooty landlady
Lillian Spencer in
Coronation Street for six episodes in 2002. The character was employed by
Fred Elliott (
John Savident) to run
The Rovers Return Inn. She re-joined the cast of
Coronation Street in August 2018, this time playing
Evelyn Plummer, the long-lost grandmother of
Tyrone Dobbs (
Alan Halsall). In 2003 she appeared in
Jonathan Creek in the episode "The Tailor's Dummy". Lipman played Maggie Wych in the children's television show
The Fugitives, broadcast in 2005. She has narrated two television series on the subject of design, one for
UKTV about
Art Deco and one about 20th-century design for
ITV/
Sky Travel. She performed as a villain, The Wire, in the 2006 series of
Doctor Who in the episode entitled "
The Idiot's Lantern". She has also appeared on
Just a Minute,
The News Quiz,
That Reminds Me,
This Week and
Have I Got News for You. In 2007, Lipman appeared as a celebrity contestant on
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice to raise money for
Comic Relief. The show saw her helping to run a
funfair. Later in 2007, she made a guest appearance in
Casualty; this was followed by an appearance in a December 2011 episode of the
Casualty spin-off
Holby City, playing a different character. In May 2008, she appeared in the
BBC documentary series
Comedy Map of Britain. On Sunday 11 January 2009,
BBC Four was devoted to a "Maureen Lipman Night". On 5 February 2009, she appeared in the third series of teen drama
Skins, in the episode entitled "Thomas" as
Pandora Moon's Aunt Elizabeth. She played Irene Spencer in the
ITV3 comedy
Ladies of Letters, in which she starred alongside
Anne Reid. The show's first series started in 2009, and it returned for a second series in 2010.
Film Lipman made an early film appearance in
Up the Junction (1968). she was cast as the character "Beatrice Bellman" ("Beatie/BT"), a Jewish grandmother in a series of television commercials for
British Telecom, and which was still referred to 25 years later by politicians.
Books, newspapers and magazines After her husband died in May 2004 she completed his autobiography
By Jack Rosenthal, and played herself in her daughter's four-part adaptation of the book, ''Jack Rosenthal's Last Act
, on BBC Radio Four in July 2006. which formed the basis for several autobiographical books, including How Was It For You?
, Something To Fall Back On
, Thank You For Having Me
, You Can Read Me Like A Book
and Lip Reading
. Lipman has also contributed a weekly column in The Guardian'' in the newspaper's
G2 section. She writes for
The Oldie and is on the editorial advisory board of
Jewish Renaissance magazine. ==Personal life==