Penpen (Tilly)
Such fun!
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Penelope Jane "Penny” Miranda's mother. Penny lives in an rather opulent house in Surrey. Penny is seen during Series 2 driving an ostentatious car and she is known to do grocery shopping at M&S and Waitrose. Although she is at heart caring, Penny is a snob and can be condescending towards people of a lower social class than her, as when she started a march demanding that tracksuits should not be allowed in Waitrose, and that people who wear sweatpants should shop at budget stores such as Aldi instead.
She has a strange relationship with her husband, Charles, which fluctuates from the overtly sexual to completely off, separating from him, temporarily, about once a season.
Penny main occupation, however, seems to be her daughter, continually trying to find her a husband and trying to control her life. The relationship between Penny and Miranda is a rocky one despite their obvious closeness. The true extent of their relationship is seen in Just Act Normal, which involves the two of them having to sit through a session at the psychiatrist's office. Despite their constant bickering and different views on life, Miranda and Penny have got more in common than they both think, and as Tilly points out on one occasion, are really quite close.
Series 1[]
Date
Penny enters the joke shop asking if Miranda has gotten engaged yet. Miranda says that she has not - not since she was asked the night before.
Series 2[]
The New Me
Penny turns up in Miranda's flat saying, "Darling I've left your father and I'm moving in with you." When Miranda wearily says, "Oh, mum, not again." Penny responds, "He's bound to crawl back tomorrow, it's nude fondue night."
Before I Die
Penny deliberately didn't tell Miranda about a family funeral because she isn't want her there, not wanting to explain to extended family Miranda wasn't married yet. She then enlists Tilly, and not Miranda, to help her organize a charity wine tasting.
A New Low
Penny told Miranda that she had never gotten a mobile until Charles insisted, "he said saucy text messages are all the rage."
The Perfect Christmas
Penny drives Miranda mad with her charting of Christmas, giving her mother three strikes before leaving, the last straw falling when Penny sang Good Kind Wenceslaus with modified lyrics poking at Miranda's size and married status. When the chaos of a group holiday hit Miranda on Christmas day, however, she returned to Penny's house, because her Christmases were always great.
Series 3[]
It Was Panning
Penny is seen to be embarrassed at Miranda's brief appearance in an obesity awareness segment on the news, but later accepts her claims that 'it was panning' when Micheal Jackford calls Miranda 'Lovely' and then she herself is shown at then end of a news segment on the old and infirm, and repeats the argument that the camera 'was panning.' During this episode she attempts to get Miranda to lose weight, taking her to Eaters Anonymous. She agrees to become the short-term business partner in order that Miranda can secure a loan, but the loan counselor calls her "as incompetent as [Miranda]."
What A Surprise
Penny decides to run for local Councillor and chooses Tilly as her campaign manager; together they hand out leaflets and use megaphones to project their policies an example being "M&S on the NHS" and "tax breaks for anyone who marries [Miranda]" She holds a campaign evening in Gary's restaurant where Miranda and Michael are on their date. She and Miranda tell each other to pretend to not be related both claiming it's "worse for me."
When Miranda gets arrested for impersonating a police officer, Penny comes down to the station and swaps clothes with Miranda in order for Miranda to escape for her second date with Mike. This of course is discovered, and she is taken to Miranda's flat where she and the police officer crash Miranda's date with a confused Mike who didn't know they were related. When Mike forgives her at Stevie's 'come as what you wanted to be when you were younger' party, Miranda tells Mike that she doesn't want to be judged by her mother, and shows that when Penny was younger she wanted to be Cher.
She advocated for her daughter, and appears to take an interest in her daughter's feelings.
A Brief Encounter
When Miranda is faced with proposals from two men, and hesitates in confusion, Penny wails, "Just say yes!" when Miranda asks to whom, Penny respond "It doesn't matter!" Then suggests she move to Utah and marry them both, adding she should have done so with Charles and Nigel Havers. At the engagement party later, she was heard to say "Where's Charles? Why isn't he ever here when I need him?"
The Final Curtain
She seems to be less worried about Miranda's feelings about breaking up with Gary, and more concerned about getting her married at all cost. Fed up at last, Miranda bans Penny from her life until she can accept that Miranda has the right to do and say and be exactly what she wants to be without interference. She is later spotted drinking straight gin and demanding all the ladies at the tennis club go commando. They make up after Penny again splits from Charles, and Miranda tells her she doesn't have to define herself by her husband. She is there when Miranda and Gary finally get married, and faints after the I Dos.
Personality[]
Penny is a very elegant upper middle class woman who tends to be overbearing and very opinionated. By shouting down other voices (mostly Miranda's), she finds herself in control of many situations.
Penny's best friend is Belinda whom she dislikes intensely and with whom she is in constant competition. Penny constantly tries to turn Miranda into the daughter that she's always wanted her to be so that she can smugly show off to Belinda that Miranda is a better daughter than Tilly.
Physical Appearance[]
Penny is a fashionable older woman with greying blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a good fashion sense, known for her scarves, blouses, and blazers and is depicted as fashion-forward and image conscious.
Penny-speak[]
She has a tendency to pointless flourishes in speech, such as "I am going to play what I call tennis" when of course every one calls it tennis. She also finds herself mouthing certain words, however, Penny seems to mouth the wrong word, for example: "He's a complete ARSE!" She gives random names to items she can't bother calling by their proper names such as 'dewberries' for remote controls.
Her most popular phrase is "Such fun!". She uses it to shout down Miranda from making excuses to get out of situations and parties before leaving a room, inevitably results in Penny getting her own way.
Quotes[]
- We are not physductional!
- Excuse me, Little Miss Oompa-loompa!
- Oh, that was a lovely loo!
- No pretending you're singing at Wembly!
- If nude fondue doesn't make your father want me back, he'll be desperate for my kinky quiche.
Trivia[]
- She read through her daughter's diaries, and describes them a like Anne Frank's but more depressing.
- She once replaced a picture of her daughter with that of a goat.
- She fainted when Miranda finally got married.
- She describes Miranda as being "such an ugly baby" to Dr.Hopkins.
- Penny married very young so she doesn't know what it feels like to be single.
- Tilly often calls Penny "Pen Pen."
- During the closing credits of The Final Curtain, Tom Ellis takes his bow with Patricia Hodge, kissing her hand in farewell.