YoungWillz

Gabriel Bach, a deputy prosecutor at the trial of Adolf Eichmann and a former Israeli Supreme Court Judge, reportedly dead aged 94: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-696937

Jim Hagedorn dead from cancer aged 59: https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/us-rep-hagedorn-dies-at-age-59/ Somebody's Joker? Will he QO?

David Tyson, an addition to the re-formed group The Manhattans in the late 1990s and brother to Ron Tyson of The Temptations, reportedly dead aged 62: https://www.soultracks.com/story-david-tyson-dies

Gail Halvorsen QO: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-10524659/Candy-Bomber-dropped-sweets-amid-Berlin-Airlift-dies.html Along with Jack Smethurst, that should keep the body count...erm...counted...

That David Cameron will come to a bad end, I can feel it!

Cool, Scotland can have its referendum again! (and again and again and again til they are right).

Arthur Giron, a playwright whose best known work is probably Edith Stein and who wrote for some episodes of Ryan's Hope for TV, reportedly dead aged 85: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Playwright-Arthur-Giron-Dies-at-85-20220217 IBDB: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/arthur-giron-500427

Und der USA: https://ksltv.com/484548/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-passes-away-at-age-101/ Lollipop, Lollipop. ooh. Lolly lolly.

Stage obit for Anthony May who died back on Christmas Eve, 2021: https://www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/anthony-may Both well regarded theatre and film actor, his role in Zigger Zagger on stage led to a most promising newcomer nomination, later filmed for TV. Played a pop singer in Here Come The Double Deckers, Billy in McVicar and a nobleman in Maleficent. (That should cover the generations on here). Many supporting roles. IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0561871/

Smethurst Sun QO for the DDP : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/tv/4703126/jack-smethurst-death-love-thy-neighbour/ Wait no, US version. UK Version: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/17674619/jack-smethurst-death-love-thy-neighbour/ Phew.

Y-y-y-ou mean.....they don't read this site as an amazing repository and resource? Well, I'm just shocked.

British Comedy Guide have an obit up, so closer. Smethurst was in Carry On Sergeant (carry on bods take note), Quatermass And The Pit (somebody let Toby Hadoke know), A Kind Of Loving (seminal 1960s film), possibly the last survivor of the sitcom For The Love Of Ada, and had his own This Is Your Life in 1973. I mean, c'mon, there's plenty to write about - you can't be in a controversial show after all of that and not obit. Can you?

I'd have expected the Sun or the Mirror to be on this fairly swiftly. Maybe their sub-editors were kids when Fraggle Rock was on.

I stopped picking Smethurst for my Comedy team. Whilst there is no doubt he should obit, it might take a while to frame a suitable one - if at all. Been burnt before. Yeah, the BBC have gone a bundle on PJ O'Rourke (who I have vaguely heard of, so most people won't care) and some Bollywood star (who the fuck?). 40 years ago, breaking news, now? I mean the show is nearly 50 years old and he did theatre work after that, rarely anything else. Smethurst was a huge star back in the day - fingers crossed eh?

Of course I meant Speight. Doh! Alzheimers setting in I'm afraid... It's only my opinion, but actually it had the same problem as Love Thy Neighbour. I remember at the time Alf Garnett was an absolute hero to a lot of people. So they fucked that right up right there.

Straight ahead AND to the side?

No doubt about it. Many shows of that era were - Bless This House for example is incredibly poor. Terry And June is voraciously upper middle-class twaddle, give me George And Mildred every day over that shite. To The Manor Born was never really that good, try re-watching that pile of steaming crap today.

The thing was you either found stuff funny because of the racism or in spite of it (I was in the latter category). Rigsby's almost flagrant racism is breath taking at times, and yet Rising Damp is still beloved. Rudolph Walker's character was just an ordinary guy trying to get on with his life, however, he did reverse the racism showing it to be a waste of time and breath. And actually both living together and working together, they had no option to be reconciled at the end of every show. I recall there was a Union show where they united against the imminent loss of jobs. The difficulty of integration of societies could be overcome with common cause and humanity. I dislike Til Death intensely - I've always thought it an outlet for Sullivan's deep seated personal racism. Look at today. Is it worse in real life? I'd say yes, more ghettoisation of ethnic backgrounds where white and others are distanced from each other in living accommodation and attitudes. Yet the PC crowd would have us believe we are more diverse and multi-ethnic than ever, living in harmony like Ebony and Ivory by McCartney/Wonder. Maybe there is more a need for these type of shows than ever.

Henry Danton actually gets the full Telegraph treatment: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/02/16/henry-danton-dancer-performed-frederick-ashtons-celebrated-symphonic/

So in answer to the OP, no, they are now both dead. Reg Varney - 2008 Jack Smethurst - 2022 RIP and the thread is due for a tagging.

2 out of 3 in this picture gone already this year - can Biggins survive?

Never understood why there was such a problem with Love Thy Neighbour, Smethurst's character was just as much a fool as Alf Garnett, Rigsby and Sgt Major Williams. I remember loving it as a child. Of course, he was a very good character actor outside of that show, but that will be what he is remembered for. RIP.

*found out that my total distraction technique from a valid deadpooling tip by msc wasn't noticed*

Bravo. Post of the year so far!

And I disagree with you, and that is very much ok. Milligan was a signatory to an Early Day Motion regarding the reinforcement of Christian Education in schools. Now, I've read me Bible and I don't recall anywhere it being ok to do what Milligan was up to, albeit in the privacy of his own home. On its own the Milligan incident would simply be a matter of general prurience. The messaging from the Government, the many many other wrongdoings (some within the rules at the time) taken with the Milligan incident and others just added to the general feeling that it was a do as I say, not as I do Government (see the EDM referred to above). This cannot be seen through the prism of now or change in attitudes. Politicians were preaching they were paragons of virtue and preaching that virtue to families including their children up and down the country. We expected more of our leaders back then. They were not simply individuals with themselves and their pleasures to be satisfied with power. At some point we stopped that belief and now we've got what we have now (cronyism, corruption, back covering [Owen Patterson], let the bodies pile high) and actually a lot of folk see that as ok. Practice what you preach was what I was always told. Of course the current lot preach parties, fuck your dead I'm off on holiday, the richest have done best out of COVID so fuck your disabled and poor and hungry we'll leave the rich alone, another photo op in front of a food bank anybody? All the things they actually do preach on now (migrant crisis, just about managing, reform of social care, Brexit bonus bonanzas etc etc etc) they are failing on. As I said before, this is nothing new from the Tories, it's just more flagrant because they know the people seem to be happy take it up their arses without question. Which is another sexual pecadillo albeit a metaphor. Anyway, poor old Baron Chidgey eh?