Nora Batty

Nora Batty (née Renshaw) is a fictional character in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine. Nora became a national icon, recognized by her pinny and distinctive style of hair curlers.

Biography

Early life

Nora was one of five siblings: Madge, who emigrated to Australia; Billy, who also emigrated but spent all his time dying; Clara, who only comes for Christmas; and Stella (Barbara Young), who came to housesit for Nora when she went to care for Madge in Australia.

She married Wally Batty (Joe Gladwin), a railway engineer, in World War II.

Later years

Wally and Nora never had any children, and their marriage was rather a loveless one; Nora wore the trousers and frequently man-handled her husband, turning him shell-shocked very early on. The two managed to live together, but Wally did run away to stay with his mother once in 1972. Nora was a strict person on the exterior, but if you chipped further down she was a caring person who had her sensitive spots. She was a member of the ladies tea circle, which included Ivy (Jane Freeman), Pearl (Juliette Kaplan), Edie (Dame Thora Hird) and the more naïve Glenda (Sarah Thomas).