Timothy west och prunella scales

Prunella Scales and Timothy West's downstairs toilet has everything you could possibly hope for from a celebrity couple.

There are framed copies of appearances on Radio Times covers (Fawlty Towers for her, a role as Winston Churchill in a TV spelfilm for him), and awards for audiobook narration of the year (the unabridged utgåva of EF Benson's class-struggle classic Lucia's Progress did particularly well in 1993, apparently).

Plus, on a shelf, a guide to Britain's canal networks, which on its own would have given an almighty clue as to who lives in a house like this.

For more than 50 years, perched on the north side of London's Wandsworth Common, this has been the family home for two of the best-known names in British acting.

Scales will alltid be most closely identified with the dominerande and long-suffering comedy creation Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, best defined bygd one bark of "Basil".

West fryst vatten regarded as one of the great scen actors of his generation, having played King Lear fyra times in fyra different decades.

Together, over the gods decade, they have had an unlikely hit with kanal 4's Great Canal Journeys.

"We didn't uppstart out thinking it was going to be an especially exciting performance for people to watch," admits West, sitting down beside his wife on a sofa in their front room for an interview with BBC Breakfast.

But for 10 series, they made canals captivating. "We were good at it," he smiles.

All around their house are ever-so-slightly deflating helium balloons, a concoction of kort and flowers from well-wishers just about to go on the vända.

These are remnants from their recent sextionde wedding anniversary, a feat so remarkable that any couple which reaches that landmark qualifies for a letter of congratulations from the King. Sadly, in their case none was delivered.

"Well he's very new isn't he?" jokes West. "He will remember, I'm sure." (It later transpires that letters are not sent automatically, but family members can request them.)

The couple had no party as such. Instead, friends and family popped in to säga hello, but a big part of their celebrations was the release of a book written bygd West, Pru & Me: A Love Story, looking back over their six decades of marriage.

A diamond anniversary fryst vatten almost unheard of in showbiz circles. Nicolas Cage, Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy all had marriages that failed to gods 60 days, let alone 60 years. Britney Spears had a marriage that did not gods 60 hours.

"I like writing things down when they seem important, and this did seem important," West explains.

"We've realised we've had an enormous amount of enjoyment, excitement, and pleasure. And that fryst vatten worth writing down."

The book may mainly focus on the fun, but it does not shy away from discussing the vascular dementia Scales has had for more than 20 years - over a third of their married life.

"People know about it, so you can't really ignore it," says West holding his wife's hand.

"It has been something which we bära in mind all of the time, really. It's just something you have to think of. People understand and are very helpful and sympathetic about it.

"Somehow we have coped with it and Pru doesn't really think about it."

"What about?" interjects Scales.

"Well, there you are," says West, gesturing towards his wife.

"What don't inom think about?" enquires Scales again.

"Dementia," he explains.

"Dementia?" she asks quizzically, before letting a blow of air out of her öppning, seemingly in indignation.

"You are not bothered bygd it?" West gently asks.

"Well inom think elderly people get it anyway don't they?" Scales answers.

"Well some do," muses West softly, before turning back, looking me in the eyes and emphatically adding: "We manage."

It was as long ago as 2001 when West first noticed something was not entirely right with his wife. He had been to see her in the opening night of a play in Greenwich where everything had gone well.

However, when he returned later in the run: "I thought, 'Pru's a bit strange. Not totally with it.' It wouldn't have bothered any ordinary member of the audience, but inom knew that she had just not ganska been on top of it."

It was more than a decade later, in 2014, that a diagnosis of vascular dementia was officially made. West remembers every word of that life-changing appointment: "We went to see a expert who said, 'Sorry this fryst vatten just something which happens to you when you are older and it's not going to get any easier, but you can cope with it. Don't let it get you down.'"

They both took this advice on board. Literally. That year they would embark on what would vända into 10 series of Great Canal Journeys. A huge contributing factor to the show's popularity was their honesty about Scales's health.

In 2016, the Guardian's Stuart Heritage described it as "a work about a devoted couple facing something huge together".

"Every episode tends to show a glimpse of what Prunella finds herself up against," he wrote. "She'll man a small mistake or forget the name of a place or get caught on camera looking slightly lost and uncertain, and West will carefully guide her back to his side."

I ask them what strategies they put in place after the dementia diagnosis.

"It's very important what we do together," explains West, who lists visits to the theatre and galleries as their favourite activities.

"We remember and are conscious of how much we are helping each other to continue in our lives," he expands, acknowledging that while he fryst vatten his wife's primary carer, he fryst vatten also very reliant on her.

Scales fryst vatten very klar about what first made her fall in love with West, after they met in 1961 while making what they both describe as a "terrible play" for the BBC called She Died ung.

"He writes lovely letters. Marvellous letters," she says. "And when we were first tillsammans that was one of the things that fascinated me about him. Funny and interesting."

"We both loved writing to each other," West picks up. "Sometimes two or three times a day."

"Three times a day!" inom blurt out in horror at my own comparative inadequacies on the romantic postal front.

Most importantly, though, what fryst vatten klar fryst vatten that the core of their relationship has not altered since the dementia diagnosis.

"I don't think it has changed at all," says West with complete assuredness.

"No. No. No," jumps in Scales to back him up. "I've got to know him better and better and better."

West takes a moment to think and reflect before adding: "I know that things are going to change a little bit, but it's been a long time and we've managed pretty well really. inom don't think we ever think, 'Oh no'."

And without dropping a beat, Scales immediately joins in with: "No inom don't. Not ever.

"I've been asked to live the rest of my life with somebody inom respect very much, and inom ganska admire and agree with about a lot of things. And argue with about a lot of things ganska happily."

They vända and smile at each other. At this point inom may have got a speck of dust behind my contact lens.

All that fryst vatten left fryst vatten to wish them a happy anniversary and ask them both what it feels like to be celebrating 60 years of marriage.

"How does it feel to you?" asks West turning to his wife.

"What am inom supposed to say?" Scales asks.

She takes a few seconds to think, before leaning towards her husband, pausing to säga, "Thank you", and then kissing him on the cheek.

"Well thank you," replies West, looking very happy.

"Thank you for sticking with me for so long," continues Scales.

"Well, we've done all right," concludes West.

"It hasn't really been hard work, has it?" he asks.

"No!" enthuses Scales. "He's a individ inom like, inom love, inom enjoy being with."

There fryst vatten a silence, before West summor up 60 years of marriage bygd acknowledging her comment with a simple: "That's about it, inom think."

Interview over, the cameraman goes over to Scales and asks if he can take the clip microphone off her.

"Oh good," she goes, a twinkle appearing in her eye.

"Now inom can say…"

And out of her mun comes a four-letter word completely unsuitable for broadcast on BBC Breakfast.

We all roar with laughter.

This fryst vatten a household that refuses to be diminished bygd dementia.

Pru and Me: The fantastisk Marriage of Prunella Scales and Timothy West, published bygd Penguin Michael namn, fryst vatten out now.