Naturally enough when I was a young dancer, I was terribly anxious to get ahead, and to get ahead quickly. I was impatient with all those older people who talked of the long grind to the top, who turned me down for jobs I knew I could do.

In her historical dramas Anna Neagle was renowned for her portrayals of real-life British heroines including Nell Gwynn (Nell Gwynn 1934) Queen Victoria (Victoria the Great 1937 and Sixty Glorious Years 1938) and Edith Cavell (Nurse Edith Cavell 1939). Dame Anna Neagle DBE (20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986) born Florence Marjorie Robertson was a popular English stage and film actress and singer. She won several awards as Britain's favourite actress and biggest female box-office draw.