The stage and screen actress – best known for playing Sybil, the wife of Basil Fawlty, in BBC's classic sitcom Fawlty Towers – visited the Kings Theatre in Southsea yesterday.

There, she helped young actors from the Portsmouth-based Groundlings Theatre in a three-hour workshop on performing in classic plays, including Shakespeare.

She worked with a group of seven fledgling actors to give them one-on-one coaching.

The 77-year-old said: 'I enjoy it enormously, to help young actors with classical works, particularly on matters of phrasing and making sense.

'Actors have to cope with the four media of film, theatre, television and radio and the younger generations haven't learned as much about works before 1900 as the older generations.

'And I learn an enormous amount from them, especially about new writers.'

Richard Stride, artistic director of the Groundlings Theatre, said he was delighted she could share her experience.

He said: 'It's fantastic. There's so much knowledge possessed by people like Prunella Scales, and the head of BBC drama and Stephanie Cole who have led workshops before.

'It's wonderful for them to come down and teach young people and pass on their skills.

'It's very rare you can get that outside of London.'

The actress was reunited with the cast of Fawlty Towers back in May to promote a 30th anniversary documentary about the programme.

But she was reluctant to talk too much about the comedy classic, merely saying: 'John Cleese is a very nice person and has remained a dear friend.'

She will return to the Kings Theatre on October 16 in Gertrude's Secret – a series of monologues by playwright Benedick West.