Emery had a long stage career that culminated in the creation of the role of Grandma in Billy Elliot the Musical.
[1] Reviewing the musical in The Guardian, Michael Billington noted, "... when Ann Emery, as Billy's gran, sings of her sour memories of her husband, we get on the other side of the stage a collective demonstration of the slow movements of the inebriated working-class male.
Following an appearance in Betty Blue Eyes, Emery returned to the role of Grandma, which she played until 8 November 2014, when she retired, aged 84.
[citation needed] From April to September 2011, she played "Mother Dear" in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre.
[citation needed] Emery is possibly best known for playing Ethel Meaker in the BBC children's television programme Rentaghost.