One of Corrie’s greatest stars, the man who played Jack Duckworth for more than 30 years, Bill Tarmey has passed away.
Bill left the soap in 2010 to spend more time with his family after suffering with heart problems for many years. Details of his death are not yet available.
Bill Tarmey joined Corrie after a career as a singer and acting extra. Brow-beaten Jack and his battle-axe wife Vera swiftly became one of the greatest double acts in soap and beloved by the nation. The constant battles they had with wayward son Terry and combative yet loving relationship they shared ensured they stayed at the heart of the show right up until Liz Dawn, who played Vera, left in 2008. Bill stayed with the show for a couple of years after but Jack was killed off and he retired.
Goodbye, Bill. Creator of one of the funniest, most touching and universally-loved characters that British TV has seen.
Since his death in October last year, Sir Jimmy Savile’s grave at Scarborough has been unmarked. This is because he requested that to be buried at a 45 degree angle (so he would be looking at the sea?!?!) and so his family had to wait until the land to settle before his stone could be laid. And now we can see why – it’s enormous!
The triptych stone features 2 pictures, a cross, family details, a list of Sir Jim’ll’s achievements and a sort-of poem written by the man himself. It even has another section of text on the back, which lead to some wag on Twitter joking that the headstone is also available for Kindle.
The stone cost £4,000 so it’s a shame that the makers didn’t spot the misspelling of chieftain on the right hand stone. Someone will be getting a slapped wrist for that one.
In other Savile news (amazing, isn’t it, that a bloke who died 11 months ago is still making news?) ITV are to air a documentary that he sexually assaulted young girls during the 70’s and 80’s. His friends are denying the claims.
The actor behind one of the best-loved Coronation Street characters has passed away. Geoffrey Hughes, who played lovable rogue Eddie Yeats from 1974 to 1983, died over the weekend after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 68.
Geoffrey brought a charm and likeability to the character of Eddie and his partnership with Stan and Hilda Ogden, with whom Eddie lodged, was responsible for some of the most memorable character comedy in the soap’s history. It was Eddie who created Hilda’s ‘muriel’ on which was mounted her famous flying ducks and he was always to be found trying to earn a dodgy crust by selling suspect goods while working as a window cleaner or bin man.
As well as Eddie Yeats, Geoffrey is remembered for his turns as Ounslow in Keeping Up Appearances, as Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat and as Twiggy in the Royle Family. In an early role he even provided the voice of Paul McCartney in the Yellow Submarine animated film.
Away from acting, Geoffrey owned a small holding, ran a wood supply company and was even made Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the Isle Of Wight, where he lived with his with Sue.
Here are some classic clips of Geoffrey in action.
Eric Sykes, who has died age 89, was one of the most respected figures in radio, TV and film comedy. A writer, performer and director he worked with almost every significant comic in post-war Britain. He appeared with, wrote for or directed (among many other) Tommy Cooper, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan and Leonard Rossiter.
Sykes was one of a generation of script writers and performers who were responsible for making the nation laugh from the 1950’s until the 1980’s, he has his own hit sitcom (called Sykes) and made all-star silent film The Plank.
He also worked uncredited on literally hundreds of productions and you will almost certainly have laughed at least one of his jokes without knowing its provenance. In an age when most TV comics write their own material (or like to pretend they do), people with the comic skills of Eric Sykes are becoming increasingly rare, perhaps the modern world would benefit from a new generation of old-fashioned, all-round gagsmiths of his ilk.
Just when viewers were beginning to get to grips with new HBO horse racing drama Luck it has been cancelled during filming of the second series due to the death of a race horse. Two horses died during the making of the first series of the Dustin Hoffman-starring show last year, prompting complaints from animal welfare groups. Now a third horse has died in an accident prior to going in front of the cameras so show makers HBO have decided to cancel the show and launch a full investigation.
HBO released a statement saying that they believe the safety of the horses was not compromised by filming but they will nevertheless not be continuing with production. A statement says: ‘It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series Luck. Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horse racing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.’
The show has been a hit in several countries despite complaints from viewers and critics that it is difficult to follow. We reported last week that the NY Times critic had described the show as ‘unnecessarily opaque’, but viewers on social networks have indicated that it becomes clearer as the first series unfolds. It seems that they will now not get the chance to enjoy a second series of the show.
Tributes flooded in over the weekend to mark the death of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ creator John Sullivan.
Friends have paid tribute to the scriptwriter who died in a Surrey hospital on Saturday (23.04.11), aged 64, after a six-week battle with viral pneumonia.
Sir David Jason, who played Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in the BBC comedy yesterday (24.05.11) told The Sun: “We have lost our greatest comedy writer but he leaves us a great legacy, the gift of laughter.”
His former on-screen brother Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney, said: “I am deeply saddened.
“He was without doubt Britain’s finest TV writer. He was a shy and self-effacing man, but had a huge passion for his work.”
John Challis, who played Boycie, said: “The show appealed to people from every generation and walk of life.”
John leaves behind his wife Sharron, with whom he had two sons, one daughter and two grandchildren.
Close friend Gareth Gwenlan, who used to be head of BBC comedy, said: “Sharron is obviously devastated and she has her family around her.”
“John was a great family man and he never let success go to his head. He had an amazing ability and he knew he was a decent writer but he was always ready to listen to advice.”
‘Only Fools and Horses’ ran from 1981 to 2003. The final episode of the 1996 Christmas trilogy drew a record 24.3million viewers.
The final episode of John’s last show ‘Rock & Chips’ – a prequel to ‘Only Fools And Horses’ – will be shown on BBC1 on Thursday (28.05.11).
Last week’s ending to Grey’s Anatomy was just great. If I was a cartoon character (which I’m not altogether sure that I’m not on some days), my jaw would have hit the floor and my eyes poked out on stalks as Meredith was told by Denny Duquette and bomb disposal expert Dylan that she, like them, was dead. The revelation was an incredible finale and I then spent the next seven days in eager anticipation of when GA would be back on my telly.
Picking up where the second part finished, we rejoined Meredith and some other notable dead folk (Liz, her mother’s former nurse, Bonnie one of her most notable patients and her dog, Doc) as she struggled to come to terms with what was happening. True to his training, Dylan was all for explaining things to Meredith in a forceful, direct fashion but Denny intervened, believing a more compassionate, understanding route was possible. Dylan raged that they were running out of time and couldn’t waste a moment, while Meredith looked on confused. What were they talking about and why was time of the essence?
Hollyoaks – favourite to many, inexplicable mystery to me. I remember when it began with the likes of Jambo, Natasha and the Benson clan (oops, is that my age showing?), but though I tried to get into it, I just couldn’t. Now, it seems that Hollyoaks is where all the hip kids hang out, including screeching popstar Mika. The flamboyant singer (ouch – my tongue hurts from holding it so hard) was approached by producer Bryan Kirkwood and it looks like a guest spot could be in the pipeline. Kirkwood elaborates: “The role wouldn’t be a cameo but as another character and Mika has confirmed this is something he might be interested in doing in the future.”
Where one door opens another closes, as in other Hollyoaks news, actress Emma Rigby is set to leave the show. Her character Hannah Ashworth will die from anorexia, as the dire result of a silly pact to stay slim with model Melissa. This dramatic plot is part of the programme’s commitment to real teenage issues, as they hope to bring attention to the consequences of eating disorders. Kirkwood adds: “If a single viewer gets help as a result of this storyline, then it will have been worthwhile.”
One of Corrie’s greatest stars, the man who played Jack Duckworth for more than 30 years, Bill Tarmey has passed away.
Tributes flooded in over the weekend to mark the death of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ creator John Sullivan.
From:Set The Video: NASA: Triumph and Tragedy, BBC Two, Wednesday, 24 June, 9pm