Her father, Wilfrid Young, was batman and later chauffeur to Col Kitching, who lived at Elmwood for many years after retiring from the army in 1939.

[citation needed] Young worked briefly as a librarian on leaving school and attended art college, before deciding to embark on a career as an actress.

Trying to get into the film industry, she did modelling for advertising agencies, including promoting products such as toothpaste, which paid her enough money until she became an actress.

[1] Starting out as an actress, she starred with Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall in The Constant Husband (1955);The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), (acting in a segment featuring The Mikado);[3] and I'm All Right Jack (1959) as an announcer,[3] without the director knowing that it was in fact her real-life job.

[4][3] She was a presenter of children's programmes for Associated-Rediffusion and Rediffusion London between 1959 and 1968, working alongside Wally Whyton and Bert Weedon and featuring the puppet characters Pussy Cat Willum, Ollie Beak and Fred Barker.

[citation needed] She devised Clapperboard, presented by Chris Kelly, Granada's film magazine show for children.