Greer: Mrs Overall is no joke

Germaine Greer condemned some of Britain's best-known actresses for mocking the elderly yesterday.

The outspoken feminist writer accused Julie Walters, Maureen Lipman and Prunella Scales of damaging the image of older women.

Miss Greer, 66, said they were 'mocking and vilifying' the old through the characters they have played. 'Among the powerful elderly are a number of very, very rich actresses and they have no qualms whatever about inventing and elaborating images of old women that are absolutely vicious,' said Miss Greer.

Speaking at the annual lecture of Counsel and Care - a charity which champions the rights of the elderly - the Australian-born author attacked Miss Walters for her wild-eyed portrayal of Mrs Overall, the tea lady in Victoria Wood's Acorn Antiques TV comedy sketch.

'Consider Julie Walters, born 1950, as Mrs Overall,' said Miss Greer. 'Just what is it that's funny about Mrs Overall?

Most people think these are wonderfully creative, really funny images.'

Miss Scales was targeted for her depiction of a busybody shopper named Dotty in Tesco's television advertisements.

'Think of Prunella Scales, born in 1932, making huge amounts of money playing an absolutely repulsive older woman in the Tesco ads,' said Miss Greer.

'You ask yourself, "Where does this come from, this person who puts on a hat to go to the supermarket?".'

And she criticised Miss Lipman for portraying older women as stupid.

The actress played Beattie in the popular 1980s BT television advertisements. The joke in the commercial was usually at the expense of Beattie, who was easily confused but would phone her friends and family for advice.

'Maureen Lipman, born 1946, was in her thirties when she created the Beattie ads,' said Miss Greer. ' People have told me that character is loveable. Why?

'I'm sick and tired of being the person in a TV commercial who is too stupid to understand the directions on a detergent packet. That really ought to be illegal.'

In January this year, Miss Greer - who has championed women's rights since the Sixties - became a contestant in Channel 4's Big Brother reality television show, only to walk out after a few days, damning the programme's makers for being cruel.