Hattie Jacques is known and loved as the imposing Matron in the Carry On films, the star of many radio classics, and the fictional TV sister of Eric Sykes. But the formidable screen person was a long way from real life; an unsatisfying marriage to John Le Mesurier, an affair with a Cockney car dealer, and fears that her size excluded her from film roles. Here is the full story of a vulnerable but warm woman who made a lasting contribution to British comedy.
