Biography
Daphne Oxenford (31 October 1919 – 21 December 2012) was an English actress. She trained at the Embassy Theatre and began her career on stage before moving into radio and television.
She was the principal voice of the BBC children's radio programme Listen with Mother from its start in 1950 until 1971, delivering the opening line "Are you sitting comfortably?" She was a member of the original cast of Coronation Street, playing spinster Esther Hayes from 1960 to 1963 with later guest returns in 1971 and 1972. Other television roles included Mrs Patterson in To the Manor Born (1979–1981) and Muriel in Midsomer Murders (2004–2008). She also appeared in films such as Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) and provided the voice of an announcer on Rising Damp (1977).
Oxenford was married to David Marshall from 1951 until his death in 2003; they had two daughters.
