Birds of a feather… fall out?!
Despite decades of friendship, it seems Pauline Quirke has quit Birds of a Feather, after a row with Linda Robson…
Best pals since they were small, Pauline Quirke, 61, and Loose Women panellist Linda Robson, 62, were the perfect duo to play sisters in hit BBC comedy Birds of a Feather, which first hit the small screen back in 1989.
Fast-forward more than 30 years, however, and it appears that life has imitated art.
The frequent on-screen bickering between the pair’s characters, Sharon (Pauline) and Tracey (Linda) is believed to have spilled over into real life and the pair are said to have had a ‘massive row’ ahead of last year’s Christmas special – prompting fears not only for the future of the sitcom, but for their lasting friendship, too.
A source reportedly told The Sun that, ‘The nadir came during one astonishing row at Teddington Studios, culminating in Pauline and Lesley squaring off, noses centimetres apart, outside the women’s loos. They were basically pulled apart by stunned crew members.’
The insider maintained that Linda and Pauline’s friendship disintegrated from that point on, adding, ‘Linda doesn’t believe they’ll ever speak again.’
Whatever the reason, it would be true to say that Pauline Quirke did not appear in the most recent special, and Linda Robson has grown close to Lesley Joseph, who plays maneating neighbour Dorien Green.
One source spoke of ‘real and tense issues’ before this, resulting in Pauline’s previous absence from the show’s 30th anniversary back in 2019.
The alleged fall-out may well mark the end of Pauline’s much-loved character, Sharon, whose absences have been explained by her character heading off on a cruise.
The original trio burst on to our screens in Birds of a Feather back in the late Eighties and since then we’ve followed the lives of two starkly different sisters, forced to move in together after their husbands are jailed.
And despite Pauline’s absence, the Christmas special pulled in an impressive 7.9 million viewers.
Describing her relationship with Pauline last year, mumof-three Linda boasted: ‘We’ve been really good friends, and we’re still working 52 years later.
‘ We were friends from 10 years of age… We went to the same primary school and we started taking acting classes together. We were known as the real kids, or the Cockney kids off the street.’
So what exactly happened? Only those involved know what went on behind closed doors.
What we do know is it would be a real shame if a lifelong friendship – and a truly iconic telly duo – were to end this way…
best contacted representatives for both Linda and Pauline but had heard nothing by the time we went to press.