Miss Flite A well-meaning, eccentric old woman, a regular attendant at the Court of Chancery, who hopes for a favorable judgment in the case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. She befriends Esther and invites her to her lodgings at Krook's house where she keeps birds. Oscar-nominated for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, Pauline Collins has an extensive list of TV drama credits including Masterpiece Theatre's Upstairs, Downstairs in which she played ambitious parlourmaid Sarah alongside real-life husband John Alderton. Film credits include 1997's Paradise Road. She was awarded the OBE in 2001.