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Samuel West has revealed he is bracing for the day his mother Prunella Scales, who has dementia, may not remember him or her family soon.
The actor, 56, plays Siegfried Farnon in the Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5, where Skeldale House will be having festive celebrations during WW2 with a young evacuee.
Samuel revealed will be tuning into the show on December 24 with his actress mother Prunella, 90, and actor father Timothy, 88.
Prunella and her husband Timothy married in 1963. They tied the knot 12 years before she played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, the role she is most known for.
Sam reflected on his parents relationship and said: ‘I think he misses her very much. It’s hard. He has lost the wit and companionship of his best friend.’
Family: Samuel West has discussed his mother Prunella Scales’ dementia diagnosis and says there will be a day when she does not remember him
For now, despite Sam’s mother’s dementia, which started around 15 years ago and has left her without a short-term memory, Sam says Prunella will be able to watch and enjoy the episode and recognise her son.
But Sam knows that there will be a day when his mother does not recall him or her family, telling the Mirror: ‘I expect there might be one day, soon, I don’t know.’
He said that his mother – who he described as ‘quite jolly, quite sunny’ – will likely be nice about his performance in All Creatures Great and Small, while his father might be jealous to not be in it.
Sam also said that his mother has a picture of him from around 10 years ago, shocked he is not blond anymore and surprised about how big he is.
The actor, 56, plays Siegfried Farnon in the Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5, where Skeldale House will be having festive celebrations
Prunella and Timothy were forced to quit their Channel 4 TV show, Great Canal Journeys due to her ailing health in January 2020.
The legendary actress filmed her last show in October 2019, but the couple appeared in more than 30 episodes of the programme.
The show documented journeys Prunella and Timothy would take on narrowboats across Europe, Egypt and India, and were involved in campaigning to revive the Kennet & Avon Canal in the Eighties.
Prunella and her husband Timothy were forced to quit their Channel 4 TV show, Great Canal Journeys (pictured on the show) due to her ailing health in January 2020.
During the show, she had said: ‘I don’t always know where I’m going, but I always enjoy getting there’, a piece of wisdom that Sam shared with the Mirror.
Despite her condition, Prunella is still jolly and sunny but it has been hard for her husband.
In a 2015 interview with The Independent, Tim revealed the heartache at seeing his wife slip away amid her battle, admitting that while he cherishes the time he has with her, the effects of the disease made communication difficult.
He said: ‘The sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person you knew and loved and were very close to, if you live day to day it is manageable.’
Precious memories: The family seize every present moment, taking the opportunity to make memories with Prunella (pictured in 2012)
However, the family seize every present moment, taking the opportunity to make memories with Prunella.
Before she turned 90 this year, Sam made a book of Twitter messages from 6,000 people.
One of the most famous faces to wish her a happy birthday was Mark Hamill, the Star Wars actor.
Messages were about the things they remembered and loved from Prunella’s illustrious career.
Describing the book as a special moment, Sam explained that she goes through the book, happy to see how she has made people happy through her work.
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Love: Describing the book as a special moment, Sam (pictured in September) explained that she goes through the book, happy to see how she has made people happy through her work
Her son has now been an actor for more than 30 years. His first role came straight after University, where he played Prince Caspian in C.S Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The actor, who is a father-of-two with partner Laura, had studied English Literature at Oxford.
In 1992, he was nominated for a BAFTA for the film Howards End with Helena Bonham Carter.
However he now works on All Creatures, a series which makes him very happy.
He also loves his animal co-stars, taking riding lessons to learn to ride bareback.
Also, Sam spoke of the difficulties of working with cows, explaining that they like to know where you are.
He added that they will follow you if you move away from them, sometimes bruising his foot when they step on you.
Sam is proud of the message All Creatures sends to television viewers.
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) which impact memory, thinking and behaviour.
There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way.
Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports there are more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. This is projected to rise to 1.6million by 2040.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 per cent of those diagnosed.
In the US, it’s estimated there are 5.5 million Alzheimer’s sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years.
As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia.
Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
Currently there is no cure for dementia.
But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted the more effective treatments are.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society
