Gretchen Franklin made her first screen appearance in the 1954 British suspense film Before I Wake (1955), directed by Albert S. Rogell, in which she acted alongside Mona Freeman, Jean Kent and Maxwell Reed. During the 1960s and 70s she made her name through guest roles on various sit-coms, such as Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) which starred Michael Crawford. She also appeared on the BBC's The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968). It was, however, with the BBC's EastEnders (1985) that she became a household name, as Ethel Skinner, at the age of 75. As one of the original cast members in 1985, she stayed with the show until semi-retirement in 1993 - from then until 1997 she made three or four appearances in Christmas episodes or on special occasions. In June 2000, at the age of 88, she was asked back to EastEnders to reprise her role, and declared that she was glad to be free of the boredom of retirement. She once said of herself: "I can play the comedy scenes or the tearjerkers. The directors and producers have realised that." Off screen she devoted much of her time to charity work, giving away the royalties from international syndication of EastEnders to charities that are "all for animals or old people". She died aged 94 in 2005.