Kerry Howard has been cast as a young Hyacinth Bucket in the upcoming Keeping Up Appearances prequel.

The one-off special will see her play the younger version of Patricia Routledge's much-loved character.

"It's a role of a lifetime," Howard told Radio Times. "It's so different. It's really exciting."

Revealing she was a "huge" fan of Routledge, Howard added: "She taught me about how you use your face, about intonation, about how your body embodies a gag.

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"She's totally uncensored. She's going for the gag in every sense. She's brilliant and I don't think there's a performer out there doing that now.

"The opportunity to have a go at it myself is really exciting. It's a dream role. And Roy Clarke's written it. It's so good, so good."

The Keeping Up Appearances special is part of a large slate of revivals to mark 60 years since Hancock's Half Hour, including remakes of The Good Life and Are You Being Served?.

Howard is perhaps best known for her role as intolerable sister Laura on Him & Her. She is also comedian Russell Howard's younger sister.

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