Joanna Lumley: “Paul Hollywood spat out one of my cakes!”

Best known as the chain-smoking Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous and sassy secret agent Purdey in The New Avengers, Joanna Lumley turns 80 next year and is relishing a host of darker roles.

She spoke to Saga Magazine about her part in the second series of the Netflix hit series Wednesday, her support for assisted dying, and why she longs to master perfect pastry.

On receiving a damehood

A rather official letter arrived. My heart sank because I thought it would say I’d been parking on the wrong side of the street. Then I opened it and was completely overwhelmed. I blubbed.

I was terribly moved. I don’t think you should be rewarded for charity stuff – you do it because you love to help – but it was a big deal.

Her admiration for the royal family

She [the late Queen] left so gracefully, remaining upright and swearing in Liz Truss as Prime Minister until the very last minute.

We never saw her use a wheelchair, even though she was very frail. She was compos mentis, then she went to her bed and died. It was so brilliantly packaged.

And her respect for King Charles 

He was the most brilliant Prince of Wales we will ever see, without being cruel to Prince William, because he had the role for so long. The Prince’s Trust was set up when he was in his twenties – what a far-thinking thing to do!

He’s exceptionally brave, because he really is ill, but practically nobody can keep up with him. He packs so much into every day, he walks faster than anybody I’ve ever met – he’s incredible.

On turning 80 next year

I don’t want a big bash. My birthday falls in the summer term, so I never had a party at school, and my 80th won’t be any different, though of course we’ll say, 'How lovely', and have friends round for supper.

You do think, 'Can that number be true?' We get wiser, we have much more experience, but all of us have the same little person we once were tucked inside us: the toddler, the stumbling person going off to their first school, the young, anxious person trying to get a job.

So you never really feel old until you count it up, like the rings on a tree, and go, 'Oh my God, yes, I must be'.

On assisted dying

People are terribly anxious about it and think one may be coerced [into voluntary euthanasia].

But I’m saying this now when nobody’s coercing me: don’t let me turn into somebody who doesn’t recognise the people I love most, where I’m having a miserable time.

When I get to the stage where I can’t speak and have to be fed, that won’t be me any more and that’s when I wouldn’t mind saying farewell.

The modern realities of being a grandparent

"We couldn’t love each other more but there’s a huge distance.

People expect you all to be sitting round the same table at Christmastime, but life isn’t like that.

Because they live so far away, it’s quite hard to have that grandmotherly relationship, 'Come round for a rock cake I baked earlier'.

Joanna's delight in her evil characters

There’s a lot of evil. Evil aunts, grannies, mothers-in-law, stepmothers – always suspect characters. It’s really quite grim, but also divine and such good fun as they always write the best stuff for the bad hats.

Wednesday has that solemn, little, fierce face and the first time really you see her smile is when Grandmama pitches up, because they’ve got some weird connection.

That happens quite often – you leap a generation and the grandparents are the indulgent ones who egg you on.