Just one question has been on everyone’s lips over the past few weeks – who is Myrtle Holden?
The loudmouth pilsner-swigging pensioner has moved down to London after being persuaded to move in with her concerned granddaughter, Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden.
As part of their E4 fly on the wall series, The Holden Girls: Mandy & Myrtle, cameras have been falling the pair around to follow their hilarious and controversial antics.
“I’m delighted that everyone is finally going to meet my nan, the apple never falls far from my tree and in this series, she will certainly be keeping me on my toes,” explained Amanda ahead of the show airing.
The Holden Girls have been causing chaos wherever they go after Myrtle moved down from Doncaster into her granddaughter’s delightful Surrey home.
In the first episode, we saw tempers fray between the two before they were embroiled in a tabloid scandal after getting a taxi during a charity walk.
Myrtle has really taken to the showbiz world and has tried getting on Channel 4 shows First Dates and Gogglebox.
But both instances ended in disaster, with Myrtle being partnered up with Maya Jama instead of Amanda on Gogglebox and her date in the restaurant died while going to the toilet.
Myrtle has also been rubbing shoulders with some of Amanda’s famous pals, including Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford, Ashley Roberts and has developed a crush on Ben Shephard.
When asked about her identity, a spokesperson for Myrtle told the Daily Star: “I have no comment, apart from I’m really hoping being on TV might means I can finally meet my favourite young man, Ben Shephard.”
But obviously if you haven’t worked it out by now the entire show is a spoof, with a very well-known TV personality playing the role of Amanda’s fictional nanny.
Amanda’s real-life nan was actually named Ethel Thomas but sadly died back in 2018 at the age of 97.
Viewers have been trying to guess who is under the latex mask of Myrtle – with some believing it was Geordie presenter Dec Donnelly and others guessing chatty man Alan Carr.
However, it is in fact Leigh Francis who is pretending to be Amanda’s outspoken grandmother.
For those who don’t know, the comedian is better known through his character/public persona of Keith Lemon.
The clues were all there as Myrtle actually looks rather like one of Leigh’s Bo’ Selecta! creations and the official Keith Lemon Twitter account has also been promoting the series.
Eagle-eyed viewers will also have spotted Leigh’s name on the credits after the episodes have finished.
Myrtle isn’t the only ‘fake’ part of the show, as Amanda’s entire family are played by actors.
An ongoing joke throughout the series is that Amanda’s husband Chris Hughes, who she married in 2008 and shares two daughters with, doesn’t want to take part in the show.
in hilarious scenes, record producer Chris refuses to be on camera and is constantly pixelated when Myrtle bursts in on him minding his own business or naked in the bathroom.
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