On February 26th 2009 I heard the sad news that Wendy Richard had died. Wendy had been my next door neighbour for six years when I lived in Marylebone and a good friend. This photo of the two of us was taken on her wedding day in 1990 to husband Paul Glorney.

When my wife Narelle and I moved into our new home, a garden flat in Upper Montagu Street at the end of the 1980s, we were astonished but delighted to find on moving-in day that our next door neighbour was Wendy Richard, star of Are You Being Served? and EastEnders.

She sent us a little welcoming note on headed blue stationery saying that she hoped we would be happy in our new home. And as we probably wouldn’t have our washing machine plumbed in yet, she gave us directions on where to find the nearest launderette in nearby Baker Street. Typical of her practical thinking but it gave us a laugh as she was probably the most famous laundrette manager in the land at the time running the one in EastEnders’ Albert Square with Dot Cotton.

You can read more about her and how she inspired me to write my comedy thriller Twist in my memoir Crazy Paving here.