Claire Nielson

Acting

Claire Nielson

Born April 8, 1937 · Scotland, UK

Died April 29, 2026 · aged 89

Claire Nielson (née Isbister) was a Scottish actress primarily known for her television roles. On television, she played the wife of the belligerent American guest, Mr. Hamilton, in the "Waldorf Salad" episode of Fawlty Towers, appeared as Jean 'Porridge' Carter, Geoffrey Stock's secretary, in the popular 1960s crime series Ghost Squad and played the wife of Rikki Fulton's character in many sketch…

Known For

Triple Scotch & WryTriple Scotch & Wry · 1990
Triple Scotch & Wry
7.01990
MovieComedy
More comedy sketches from Scottish comedian Rikki Fulton. Characters include: Michael Jackson - from Jordanhill; Shirley Bassey - from Bearsden; Jonathan Partington; Bonnie Prince Charlie; and the Last Call team.
Clay, Smeddum and GreendenClay, Smeddum and Greenden · 1976
Clay, Smeddum and Greenden
7.01976
MovieDramaTV Movie
Trilogy of one-act plays based on short stories by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. ‘Clay’ is the story of a men who neglects his wife in favour of his land. ‘Smeddum’ is the story of a matriarch’s attempt to control her brood. ‘Greenden’ is the story of a city woman moving to the country with her husband.
KidnappedKidnapped · 1971
Kidnapped
6.31971
MovieAdventureHistory
Scottish orphan David Balfour is betrayed by his wicked uncle Ebeneezer, who arranges for David to be kidnapped and sold into slavery so that he cannot claim his inheritance. The boy is rescued and befriended by Alan Breck, a Scottish rebel fighting on behalf of his country's independence from the British.
A Is for AcidA Is for Acid · 2002
A Is for Acid
6.92002
MovieCrimeDrama
Dramatisation of the true story of the notorious 'acid bath murderer' John Haigh, who murdered women and disposed of their bodies in vats of acid in the 1940s. He was only caught when the gallstones of one of his victims failed to dissolve in the acid and were detected by the pathologist who examined the residue from the acid bath.
The Wild AffairThe Wild Affair · 1965
The Wild Affair
5.31965
MovieComedy
Young office assistant Majorie will marry soon, however, she's plagued by doubts if her fiance is the right one. On her last day at work, her male colleagues don't miss a chance to comfort her...and flirt.
Double Scotch & WryDouble Scotch & Wry · 1987
Double Scotch & Wry
8.51987
MovieComedy
Rikki Fulton and friends return with another selection of sketches and comedy characters, including the Reverend I.M. Jolly, Supercop, dirty barber Alky Broon and Big Chief Swift Half.
Degree of UncertaintyDegree of Uncertainty · 1979
Degree of Uncertainty
8.01979
MovieDramaTV Movie
Mature student, divorcee and mother of three Josie finds the social pressures in and out of university more demanding than her academic studies.
The KitchenThe Kitchen · 1961
The Kitchen
7.31961
MovieComedy
In the business end of a kitchen, a polyglot staff strives to cope with a superhuman task. A microcosm of the world, the kitchen looms around and encloses its workers; they include Peter, the German cook, who is in love with waitress Monica, and constantly asks her to leave her husband. The pressure of the day becomes unendurable, and when Peter realises that Monica does not mean to divorce her husband his grief and pain cause him to run berserk!

Filmography

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Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? · 1973
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
7.71973
SeriesComedy
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a British sitcom which was broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. There were 26 television episodes over two series; and a subsequent 45-minute Christmas special was aired on 24 December 1974. The cast were reunited in 1975 for a BBC radio adaptation of series 1, transmitted on Radio 4 from July to October that year. In 1976, a feature film spin-off was made. Around the time of its release, however, Rodney Bewes and James Bolam fell out over a misunderstanding involving the press and have not spoken since. This long-suspected situation was finally confirmed by Bewes while promoting his autobiography in 2005. Unlike Bewes, Bolam is consistently reluctant to talk about the show, and has vetoed any attempt to revive his character.

Miss Dixon

Ghost SquadGhost Squad · 1961
Ghost Squad
6.01961
SeriesCrimeDrama
Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third series, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work. Despite the show and characters being fictional, an actual division did exist within the Metropolitan Police Service at the time. Inspiration for the series was taken from a book of the same name, written by John Gosling — a retired police officer and former member of the team. Although the real-life squad only operated in London, the fictionalised team travelled internationally; however — as was typical of the time — most foreign locations were actually a combination of stock footage and sets at Independent Artists Studio at Beaconsfield and Elstree Studios. Music was by Philip Green. The show was produced by ITC Entertainment, along with Rank Organisation TV and ATV. It was the first ITC show filmed to fit the one hour time-slot — setting the trend for the majority of ITC's future output. Another common ITC trait was to feature an American, in this case Michael Quinn, in a leading role so as to increase the chances of international sales. At 6' 3", Quinn often towered over his co-workers. This was especially noticeable in the first series title sequence showing him walking through a crowd walking in the opposite direction. He frequently smoked in the show as did many others. The second series had a different title sequence and Neil Hallett sometimes replaced Quinn. Hallett looked more like a spy while Quinn looked a bit like a playboy. Quinn was replaced by Australian actor, Ray Barrett in the third series. Ray Austin played Billy Clay in and was also Stunt Director on all series bringing the action to life. Austin went on to become a renowned TV director in Hollywood and the UK.