Biography

Penny Irving was born in 1942 in Paisley, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Are You Being Served? (1977), Are You Being Served? (1972) and Big Zapper (1973).

Petite frame, long strawberry blonde hair and youthful appearance.

Leading "Page 3" girl during the 1970s.

Retired from the entertainment industry and living in London, England.

Gave a rare interview in 2019 where she confirms that she was born in Scotland, her family hailing from the Paisley area. Some sources claim Irving was born in Hertfordshire in the mid-1950s, but this is due to the birth details of a Penelope J. Irving, whose birth was registered in 1956 in Hitchin, being mistaken for hers. Scottish birth records show Penny was in fact born in Paisley in 1942 with the name Marie Tricki.

While promoting House of Whipcord (1974), Penny claimed to have turned down the lead role in a Roger Vadim movie.

Often cast in roles younger than her actual age, Irving was over thirty when she played the main character of a nineteen-year-old model in House of Whipcord (1974), and two years later she was cast as Miss Bakewell, Young Mr Grace's "nineteen year old secretary" in Are You Being Served? (1972).

[on her role in Are You Being Served? (1972)] As the series progressed, they tried to get a bit more risqué. In one script it had me sat in a bikini on Mr Grace's knee. I didn't want that and I called David Croft and told him I was drawing the line. He was livid! I was in my 30's by then and just didn't want to do it. He was quite horrible about it. So, I thought about it ... and still didn't do it!

[on her role in Hi-de-Hi! (1980)] Oh I hated it! It just wasn't funny at all that show. I didn't ever aspire to be an actress. I couldn't act! I had been modelling and that didn't involve having to earn lines or speak so I had much more confidence with modelling.