[1] A baker from London, Mrs. Lovett is an accomplice and business partner of Sweeney Todd, a barber and serial killer from Fleet Street.

First appearing in the Victorian penny dreadful serial The String of Pearls, it is debated if she was based on an actual person or not.

[2] The character also appears in modern media related to Sweeney Todd including multiple stage and film adaptations.

[3][4] In April 2024, Washington Post journalist Thomas Floyd met with eight notable actresses who have portrayed Mrs. Lovett.

Ashford describes Mrs. Lovett’s arc as Shakespearean in how wild, broad, and grounded it is, and compared the character to Puck.