Liverpool actress Jean Both has died aged 91

Jean Boht famously played Ma Boswell in the sitcom Bread.

Liverpool actress Jean Boht, best known for the role of Nellie Boswell in the hit sitcom Bread, has died at the age of 91.

The star, who had been battling dementia, was also known for her appearances on shows such as Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Last Of The Summer Wine, Brighton Belles, Doctors, Grange Hill, Juliet Bravo and Boys From The Blackstuff.

A statement from her family said: “It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday Tuesday 12 September.

“Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned.

“She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.”

She had a long and varied career on stage and screen but it was her role on Bread, created by Carla Lane, for which she was best known.

Running from 1986 to 1991, the show was watched by more than 20 million people at its peak and Boht won a British Comedy Award for best TV comedy actress.

She was the subject of the biographical television show This Is Your Life in 1989.

Jean was married to the award-winning composer Carl Davis, who died last month.

The had two children and three grandchildren.

Bread focused on the Boswells from Dingle, a Catholic and working class family led by the acid-tongued matriarch Nellie Boswell (played brilliantly by Jean Boht) who ruled the roost with an iron fist.

Early series focused on her children attempting to make enough money to support the family through various illicit means and getting more dole money, while later episodes saw more emphasis on the family’s love lives and marriages (Nellie was plagued by free-spirited husband Freddie’s affair with ‘that tart!’, flame-haired Lilo-Lil).