British Character Actors

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,218]

29 minutes ago, The Quim Reaper said:

Go easy Paul, it just might not have occurred to dvsp that the death of Johnny Briggs, off of 30 years starring in a soap, would’ve been reported in the Soapstar thread.

Yeah, but.....

This is a perfect case in point where you just know that their posts are not going to be getting better anytime soon so they need to be lobbed overboard to save us all future pain, or summat.

[TQR 14,391]

1 minute ago, Lord Fellatio Nelson said:

Yeah, but.....

This is a perfect case in point where you just know that their posts are not going to be getting better anytime soon so they need to be lobbed overboard to save us all future pain, or summat.

Leave alone their thus far woeful posting, they haven’t got an avatar so they’re definitely bin fodder!

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,218]

1 minute ago, The Quim Reaper said:

Leave alone their thus far woeful posting, they haven’t got an avatar so they’re definitely bin fodder!

Amen!!

[Bibliogryphon 9,579]

5 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Theatre is one of the areas where my knowledge is terribly poor. Must confess I didn't know Routledge had a prominent stage career until the other day.

When I posted about American Hollywood Golden era actress Patricia Marmont dying off radar in December, I subsequently read that after her owning acting career, she became the theatrical agent for Kenneth Branagh and Patricia Routledge!

Oddly enough my first ever trip to the RSC at Stratford was to see Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh and Patricia Routledge

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

25 minutes ago, Bibliogryphon said:

Oddly enough my first ever trip to the RSC at Stratford was to see Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh and Patricia Routledge

 

King Henry V:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit

To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.

Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!

Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought

And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

 

 

Mistress Quickly: Take your shoes off before you enter the house, dear.

[YoungWillz 21,044]

Frank Mills Death Notice: http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/248250/mills

 

Billy Williams in Corrie, Fig Newton in Rumpole, in Terrror of the Autons etc etc.

 

DDP Pick.

 

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589992/

 

[msc 18,442]

Hetty Wainthorps brother in law too. You'd expect an obit before long.

[Sean 6,315]

A unique pick for me if he obits.As has been said I can`t imagine he won`t.

[Sean 6,315]

QO from the Mirror:https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-frank-mills-dead-coronation-23585631

[gcreptile 10,970]

5 minutes ago, Sean said:

QO from the Mirror:https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-frank-mills-dead-coronation-23585631

27th hit in February...do we have one more?

[Deathrace 1,170]

Terrible times for male former Coronation Street stars at present and yet their female equivalents appear to be indestructible 

[Fergie86 376]

4 minutes ago, Deathrace said:

Terrible times for male former Coronation Street stars at present and yet their female equivalents appear to be indestructible 

Don’t know Ken Barlow aka Bill Roache seems to be the exception to the rule is almost 89 and has said ‘he is getting younger, that the body is designed to go on forever and that he wants to still be in Coronation Street when he is 100.’ 
 

Also surely Julie Goodyear aka Bet Lynch can’t have long left she looks terrible almost 80 and smokes upwards of 100 cigarettes a day, a ticking time bomb. 

[Handrejka 1,903]

Just because she is mentioned in the blog that inspired this thread, posting Nicola Pagett's obit here too.

 

Nicola Pagett obituary | Stage | The Guardian

[time 8,599]

As mentioned in the SF thread, actor David Bailie has died aged 83

 

[msc 18,442]

Ian Bleasdale is on Pointless Celebrities. I haven't seen Casualty in years and iirc he left it ages ago, but blimey, he's 71 now! 

 

One of the more popular characters (Josh) during the shows 90s heyday.

 

 

 

[Deathrace 1,170]

16 minutes ago, msc said:

Ian Bleasdale is on Pointless Celebrities. I haven't seen Casualty in years and iirc he left it ages ago, but blimey, he's 71 now! 

 

One of the more popular characters (Josh) during the shows 90s heyday.

 

 

 

He may be 71 but he doesn't look especially unwell 

[Ulitzer95 12,596]

Update the list of British television actors for the deaths of Frank Mills and Trevor Peacock:

 

Spoiler

Arnold Yarrow (wiki, b. 1920) EastEnders; Doctor Who
Geoffrey Chater (wiki, b. 1921) One Foot in the Grave; Harry's Game; Z-Cars; Bognor
Elizabeth Kelly (wiki, b. 1921) EastEnders
Nadia Cattouse (wiki, b. 1924) Angels; Johnny Jarvis
Raymond Mason (IMDb, b. 1924) Z-Cars; The Two Ronnies; The Bill
Donald Pelmear (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Yes Minister
Leslie Phillips (wiki, b. 1924) Revolver; The House of Windsor
William Russell (wiki, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Coronation Street
Laurie Webb (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Hancock's Half Hour
Ysanne Churchman (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; The Railway Children
David Graham (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; Thunderbirds
Dame Angela Lansbury (wiki, b. 1925) Little Women
Pete Murray (wiki, b. 1925) Mum's Boys; Happily Ever After
Morris Perry (wiki, b. 1925) Crown Court; The Hound of the Baskervilles; The Sweeney
Stanley Baxter (wiki, b. 1926) The Stanley Baxter Show; Mr. Majeika
James Belchamber (IMDb, b. 1926) The Avengers
Leonard Fenton (wiki, b. 1926) EastEnders
Doreen Mantle (wiki, b. 1926) One Foot in the Grave; Coronation Street
André Maranne (wiki, b. 1926) Fawlty Towers; Yes Minister
Gordon Peters (wiki, b. 1926) Hi-de-Hi!; One Foot in the Grave; Dad's Army
Oscar Quitak (wiki, b. 1926) Howards' Way; Z-Cars; The Kenny Everett Television Show
Gudrun Ure (wiki, b. 1926) Super Gran; Casualty
June Brown (wiki, b. 1927) EastEnders
Robert Crewdson (IMDb, b. 1927) Epitaph For a Spy
David de Keyser (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court; Holby City
June Flewett aka Jill Freud (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court
Leon Lissek (wiki, b. 1927) EastEnders
Frank Mills (wiki, b. 1927) Coronation Street DIED 11/02/2021
Lee Montague (wiki, b. 1927) Bergerac; Minder
Joss Ackland (wiki, b. 1928) Z-Cars
Peter Cellier (wiki, b. 1928) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister; Keeping Up Appearances
Michael Craig (wiki, b. 1928) Doctor Who; Triangle
Bernard Cribbins (wiki, b. 1928) The Wombles; Fawlty Towers; Coronation Street
Anthony Dawes (IMDb, b. 1928) Z-Cars; Who, Sir? Me, Sir? DIED 21/01/2021
Mark Eden (wiki, b. 1928) Coronation Street DIED 01/01/2021
Sarah Lawson (wiki, b. 1928) Within These Walls
Thelma Barlow (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Dinnerladies
Maria Charles (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Agony
Damaris Hayman (wiki, b. 1929) One Foot in the Grave; Doctor Who
Colin Jeavons (wiki, b. 1929) House of Cards; Epitaph For a Spy
John Nettleton (wiki, b. 1929) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister
Robin Parkinson (wiki, b. 1929) 'Allo 'Allo!
Clifford Rose (wiki, b. 1929) One by One; Doctor Who; Secret Army
Patricia Routledge (wiki, b. 1929) Keeping Up Appearances
John Woodvine (wiki, b. 1929) Z-Cars
Cyril Appleton (wiki, b. 1930) Coronation Street
John Cairney (wiki, b. 1930) This Man Craig
Alan Curtis (wiki, b. 1930) The Saint; Z-Cars; Doctor Who DIED 18/02/2021
Robert Fyfe (wiki, b. 1930) Last of the Summer Wine (most sources say 1925 but born in 1930 according to his son)
Henry Woolf (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Doctor Who; Full House
Jack Hedley (wiki, b. 1930) Colditz; Who Pays the Ferryman?; One by One
Henry Lincoln (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Triangle; No Hiding Place
Una McLean (wiki, b. 1930) Taggart, River City
Bill Treacher (wiki, b. 1930) EastEnders
Gary Watson (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; The Avengers; Doctor Who
Denyse Alexander (wiki, b. 1931) Father Charlie; The Bill; Silent Witness
June Bland (wiki, b. 1931) The Newcomers; Doctor Who
Claire Bloom (wiki, b. 1931) Brideshead Revisited
Sheila Brennan (IMDb, b. 1931) Open All Hours
Jeremy Burnham (wiki, b. 1931) United!; The Saint; The Avengers DIED 31/12/2020
Kenneth Cope (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street; Brookside
Eileen Derbyshire (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street
James Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Mapp & Lucia; The Bill; Moon Stallion DIED 05/01/2021
Leon Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Lorna Doone; A Man Called Intrepid

Patricia Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Doctors
Gerald Harper (wiki, b. 1931) Hadleigh; Adam Adamant Lives!
Veronica Hurst (wiki, b. 1931) Dixon of Dock Green; The Flaxton Boys
Brian Jackson (wiki, b. 1931) Z-Cars; Doctors
Godfrey James (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; Emmerdale Farm; Oliver Twist; Armchair Thriller
John Kelland (IMDb, b. 1931) The Idiot
Harry Landis (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders
James Martin (wiki, b. 1931) Still Game
Ellen McIntosh (IMDb, b. 1931) The Common Room; 199 Park Lane; This Man Craig
Virginia McKenna (wiki, b. 1931) The Scold's Bridle; The Camomile Lawn
Stanley Meadows (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street
Jeanne Moody (IMDb, b. 1931) Emergency-Ward 10; The Saint

Arthur Nightingale (IMDb, b. 1931) The Bill, The Crown
Trevor Peacock (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; The Vicar of Dibley DIED 08/03/2021

Vivian Pickles (wiki, b. 1931) Birds of a Feather; Uncle Jack
Corinne Skinner-Carter (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders
John Swindells (IMDb, b. 1931) Z-Cars
Josephine Tewson (wiki, b. 1931) Last of the Summer Wine; Keeping Up Appearances
Cy Town (IMDb, b. 1931) Doctor Who
Frank Williams (wiki, b. 1931) Dad's Army; You Rang, M'Lord?

 

[msc 18,442]

A few old timers I've stumbled onto researching who *appear* to be alive.

 

Elizabeth Benson (born 1926) - a Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses guest star in a long career! Referred to as retired in a 2018 Where Are They Now blog on OFAH guests, but trying to find out more is hurt by her common name - so common another actress big on Twitter has it in fact!

 

Michael Godley (born 1925) - Another actor who did the tour of popular UK TV - Poirot, Morse, A Very British Coup among his credits. Retired within the last decade. Doesn't show up in the BMD but could be a stagename. There was a Michael A Godley who died in 2015 but reverse engineering that provides 3 people who were all born on the south coast a long way from Sheffield!

 

Neville Phillips (born 1927) - Only retired in 2015, sort of a go to actor if you need a vicar or diplomat. Again a common name (and born in South Africa).

 

I'm wary that absence of proof (of death) is not proof of absence (of death) after the Sopel incident, but for the time being I can't find anything on them being no more and would have felt they had CVs worthy of a mention when they did go. (But then, I thought that of David Fisher and too many other names!)

[Ulitzer95 12,596]

31 minutes ago, msc said:

A few old timers I've stumbled onto researching who *appear* to be alive.

 

Elizabeth Benson (born 1926) - a Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses guest star in a long career! Referred to as retired in a 2018 Where Are They Now blog on OFAH guests, but trying to find out more is hurt by her common name - so common another actress big on Twitter has it in fact!

 

Michael Godley (born 1925) - Another actor who did the tour of popular UK TV - Poirot, Morse, A Very British Coup among his credits. Retired within the last decade. Doesn't show up in the BMD but could be a stagename. There was a Michael A Godley who died in 2015 but reverse engineering that provides 3 people who were all born on the south coast a long way from Sheffield!

 

Neville Phillips (born 1927) - Only retired in 2015, sort of a go to actor if you need a vicar or diplomat. Again a common name (and born in South Africa).

 

I'm wary that absence of proof (of death) is not proof of absence (of death) after the Sopel incident, but for the time being I can't find anything on them being no more and would have felt they had CVs worthy of a mention when they did go. (But then, I thought that of David Fisher and too many other names!)

Good finds. Added them to that big list I made with some recurring appearances in notable series.

I've also added Barbara Clegg who appears to be (or was) married to the above Michael Godley! Clegg best known for her writing contributions ofc, but also had a recurring acting role in Emergency Ward 10. 

I'll go have a look through Ancestry, see if I can find anything more but it would appear that they're all alive.
 

Spoiler

Arnold Yarrow (wiki, b. 1920) EastEnders; Doctor Who
Geoffrey Chater (wiki, b. 1921) One Foot in the Grave; Harry's Game; Z-Cars; Bognor
Elizabeth Kelly (wiki, b. 1921) EastEnders
Nadia Cattouse (wiki, b. 1924) Angels; Johnny Jarvis
Raymond Mason (IMDb, b. 1924) Z-Cars; The Two Ronnies; The Bill
Donald Pelmear (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Yes Minister
Leslie Phillips (wiki, b. 1924) Revolver; The House of Windsor
William Russell (wiki, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Coronation Street
Laurie Webb (IMDb, b. 1924) Doctor Who; Hancock's Half Hour
Ysanne Churchman (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; The Railway Children
Michael Godley (IMDb, b. 1925) The Bill, Watt on Earth
David Graham (wiki, b. 1925) Doctor Who; Thunderbirds
Dame Angela Lansbury (wiki, b. 1925) Little Women
Pete Murray (wiki, b. 1925) Mum's Boys; Happily Ever After
Morris Perry (wiki, b. 1925) Crown Court; The Hound of the Baskervilles; The Sweeney
Stanley Baxter (wiki, b. 1926) The Stanley Baxter Show; Mr. Majeika
James Belchamber (IMDb, b. 1926) The Avengers
Elizabeth Benson (IMDb, b. 1926) Fawlty Towers, Z-Cars, The Liver Birds
Barbara Clegg (wiki, b. 1926) Emergency Ward 10
Leonard Fenton (wiki, b. 1926) EastEnders
Doreen Mantle (wiki, b. 1926) One Foot in the Grave; Coronation Street
André Maranne (wiki, b. 1926) Fawlty Towers; Yes Minister
Gordon Peters (wiki, b. 1926) Hi-de-Hi!; One Foot in the Grave; Dad's Army
Oscar Quitak (wiki, b. 1926) Howards' Way; Z-Cars; The Kenny Everett Television Show
Gudrun Ure (wiki, b. 1926) Super Gran; Casualty
June Brown (wiki, b. 1927) EastEnders
Robert Crewdson (IMDb, b. 1927) Epitaph For a Spy
David de Keyser (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court; Holby City
June Flewett aka Jill Freud (wiki, b. 1927) Crown Court
Leon Lissek (wiki, b. 1927) EastEnders
Frank Mills (wiki, b. 1927) Coronation Street DIED 11/02/2021
Lee Montague (wiki, b. 1927) Bergerac; Minder
Neville Phillips (IMDb, b. 1927) Midsomer Murders, Mansfield Park, Rumpole of the Bailey
Joss Ackland (wiki, b. 1928) Z-Cars
Peter Cellier (wiki, b. 1928) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister; Keeping Up Appearances
Michael Craig (wiki, b. 1928) Doctor Who; Triangle
Bernard Cribbins (wiki, b. 1928) The Wombles; Fawlty Towers; Coronation Street
Anthony Dawes (IMDb, b. 1928) Z-Cars; Who, Sir? Me, Sir? DIED 21/01/2021
Mark Eden (wiki, b. 1928) Coronation Street DIED 01/01/2021
Sarah Lawson (wiki, b. 1928) Within These Walls
Thelma Barlow (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Dinnerladies
Maria Charles (wiki, b. 1929) Coronation Street; Agony
Damaris Hayman (wiki, b. 1929) One Foot in the Grave; Doctor Who
Colin Jeavons (wiki, b. 1929) House of Cards; Epitaph For a Spy
John Nettleton (wiki, b. 1929) Yes Minister; Yes, Prime Minister
Robin Parkinson (wiki, b. 1929) 'Allo 'Allo!
Clifford Rose (wiki, b. 1929) One by One; Doctor Who; Secret Army
Patricia Routledge (wiki, b. 1929) Keeping Up Appearances
John Woodvine (wiki, b. 1929) Z-Cars
Cyril Appleton (wiki, b. 1930) Coronation Street
John Cairney (wiki, b. 1930) This Man Craig
Alan Curtis (wiki, b. 1930) The Saint; Z-Cars; Doctor Who DIED 18/02/2021
Robert Fyfe (wiki, b. 1930) Last of the Summer Wine (most sources say 1925 but born in 1930 according to his son)
Henry Woolf (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Doctor Who; Full House
Jack Hedley (wiki, b. 1930) Colditz; Who Pays the Ferryman?; One by One
Henry Lincoln (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; Triangle; No Hiding Place
Una McLean (wiki, b. 1930) Taggart, River City
Bill Treacher (wiki, b. 1930) EastEnders
Gary Watson (wiki, b. 1930) Z-Cars; The Avengers; Doctor Who
Denyse Alexander (wiki, b. 1931) Father Charlie; The Bill; Silent Witness
June Bland (wiki, b. 1931) The Newcomers; Doctor Who
Claire Bloom (wiki, b. 1931) Brideshead Revisited
Sheila Brennan (IMDb, b. 1931) Open All Hours
Jeremy Burnham (wiki, b. 1931) United!; The Saint; The Avengers DIED 31/12/2020
Kenneth Cope (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street; Brookside
Eileen Derbyshire (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street
James Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Mapp & Lucia; The Bill; Moon Stallion DIED 05/01/2021
Leon Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Lorna Doone; A Man Called Intrepid

Patricia Greene (wiki, b. 1931) Doctors
Gerald Harper (wiki, b. 1931) Hadleigh; Adam Adamant Lives!
Veronica Hurst (wiki, b. 1931) Dixon of Dock Green; The Flaxton Boys
Brian Jackson (wiki, b. 1931) Z-Cars; Doctors
Godfrey James (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; Emmerdale Farm; Oliver Twist; Armchair Thriller
John Kelland (IMDb, b. 1931) The Idiot
Harry Landis (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders
James Martin (wiki, b. 1931) Still Game
Ellen McIntosh (IMDb, b. 1931) The Common Room; 199 Park Lane; This Man Craig
Virginia McKenna (wiki, b. 1931) The Scold's Bridle; The Camomile Lawn
Stanley Meadows (wiki, b. 1931) Coronation Street
Jeanne Moody (IMDb, b. 1931) Emergency-Ward 10; The Saint

Arthur Nightingale (IMDb, b. 1931) The Bill, The Crown
Trevor Peacock (wiki, b. 1931) The Bill; The Vicar of Dibley DIED 08/03/2021

Vivian Pickles (wiki, b. 1931) Birds of a Feather; Uncle Jack
Corinne Skinner-Carter (wiki, b. 1931) EastEnders
John Swindells (IMDb, b. 1931) Z-Cars
Josephine Tewson (wiki, b. 1931) Last of the Summer Wine; Keeping Up Appearances
Cy Town (IMDb, b. 1931) Doctor Who
Frank Williams (wiki, b. 1931) Dad's Army; You Rang, M'Lord?

 

[msc 18,442]

15 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Good finds. Added them to that big list I made with some recurring appearances in notable series.

I've also added Barbara Clegg who appears to be (or was) married to the above Michael Godley! Clegg best known for her writing contributions ofc, but also had a recurring acting role in Emergency Ward 10. 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Barbara Clegg is also the oldest Dr Who writer to ever live now. The only person who comes close - God botherer and massively grumpy Henry Lincoln - is 91 this year and still alive.

[Ulitzer95 12,596]

15 minutes ago, msc said:

 

Barbara Clegg is also the oldest Dr Who writer to ever live now. The only person who comes close - God botherer and massively grumpy Henry Lincoln - is 91 this year and still alive.

Hmm he seems to have had roles in The Saint, Z-Cars etc. so I've added him also!

A sigh of relief for only making this list 90+... I was originally considering 80+. There are so many names from British television over 90 still around. Proportionally more than Hollywood I reckon!

[msc 18,442]

4 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Hmm he seems to have had roles in The Saint, Z-Cars etc. so I've added him also!

A sigh of relief for only making this list 90+... I was originally considering 80+. There are so many names from British television over 90 still around. Proportionally more than Hollywood I reckon!

 

Doesn't appear to be much middle ground with British actors - either they die young-ish or they are around forever!

 

And whilst I said he was grumpy, tbf, Lincoln was screwed over for substantial royalties due to an internal BBC dispute in the 1960s and has never gotten over it His co-writer at the time, the late Mervyn Haisman, was more of a live and let live type willing to forgive as long as he got paid in the future, whereas Henry Lincoln is very much a "I shall forgive you over my dead body!" When Dan Brown borrowed the Da Vinci Code plot for his book, he kept out of the lawsuit, and interviews at the time had it as yet another chip on his shoulder.  But given circumstances, maybe fair enough!

 

 

[Ulitzer95 12,596]

1 minute ago, msc said:

 

Doesn't appear to be much middle ground with British actors - either they die young-ish or they are around forever!

 

And whilst I said he was grumpy, tbf, Lincoln was screwed over for substantial royalties due to an internal BBC dispute in the 1960s and has never gotten over it His co-writer at the time, the late Mervyn Haisman, was more of a live and let live type willing to forgive as long as he got paid in the future, whereas Henry Lincoln is very much a "I shall forgive you over my dead body!" When Dan Brown borrowed the Da Vinci Code plot for his book, he kept out of the lawsuit, and interviews at the time had it as yet another chip on his shoulder.  But given circumstances, maybe fair enough!

 

 

Does he/has he attended conventions?

I'm not a DW fan so I don't know too much about the writing history but a similar thing happened with many cast members of the original Star Wars trilogy. They got next to nothing because the budget was so tight but because it exploded into the most successful film franchise of all time, they more than made up for their shortcomings from conventions, interviews, other appearances etc. At the Star Wars Celebration ~5 years ago in London bit part/background cast members were charging 10, 20, 30+ quid a pop for an autograph or photo. And the lines were huge!

[msc 18,442]

13 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Does he/has he attended conventions?

I'm not a DW fan so I don't know too much about the writing history but a similar thing happened with many cast members of the original Star Wars trilogy. They got next to nothing because the budget was so tight but because it exploded into the most successful film franchise of all time, they more than made up for their shortcomings from conventions, interviews, other appearances etc. At the Star Wars Celebration ~5 years ago in London bit part/background cast members were charging 10, 20, 30+ quid a pop for an autograph or photo. And the lines were huge!

 

I am always open to being surprised but I believe there is more chance of you or Handrejka going to a Dr Who convention than him! He said a decade ago the sight of anything to do with Dr Who makes him furious and sick.

 

In short - Haisman and Lincoln created the Yeti and Brigadier in Dr Who, so were asked to create robots that could be the new Daleks. (Read - never seen again.) The producer at the time - a useless chap called Derrick Sherwin  - saw gold dust in the Quarks (aforementioned robots you've never heard of) and did a deal with TV Comics for their use  without asking the writers. This led to shitloads of merch for which the royalties went to the producer instead. It caused a massive controversy at the time and was a major headache for the BBC which Lincoln equates to losing work as well (1968-9).

 

As a full circle bit, here's Mervyn Haisman on why he stopped working with Henry Lincoln in the early 70s...

 

Quote

 

It was a natural progression, really. Henry was getting more involved with trying to solve a mystery surrounding a small village in France called Rennes-le-Château. It concerned various esoteric conspiracies combining Freemasonry, buried treasure and the Knights Templar. I'd be writing away on a script, and I'd turn round and find him lying on the floor staring at the ceiling, and this very often would go on day after day. Eventually I said, “Henry, it's not really working, is it?” and he said, “no, I've really got to do something about this mystery in Rennes-le-Château.” And I said, “well, fair enough, you're into that sort of thing, so you go and do it and we'll just part.” And he did, and he wrote several documentaries, and later on he wrote a number of best selling books on the subject. And I went off and did a drama series called The Intruder.

 

 

[alt obits guy 3,371]

Twitter reporting the death of British character actor Don Crann.  His career ran from the early 80s to the late 00s. He was a recurring character on the television series the Gaffer & Langley Bottom and appeared on two episodes of Coronation Street in 1986, among other roles.