Emma Chambers passed on last week, on Wednesday, it is now said, although her passing was made public over the weekend. They tagged her as having been in Notting Hill, but I always remembered her from The Vicar of Dibley, where she played Dawn French’s good-hearted nitwit of a housekeeper, Alice.
Emma Chambers (left) as Alice and Dawn French as the Vicar of Dibley
To be fair, she was never pretty enough to be a leading lady and her base of acting skills wasn’t very broad, but within her sweet spot, the kind, funny birdbrain, she was absolutely brilliant.
In her memory, here is some dialog that made me laugh so loud that I have remembered it to this day. Not funny in black and white but a perfect expression of Alice’s character:
Alice: Do you know that stuff, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter?
Vicar: Um, yes…
Alice: Well…I can’t believe it’s not butter.
Only a woman with perfect timing could pull off that gag, and thank you for giving it to us, Emma.
Confessions of an Overage otaku 