The Last Farewell 2008 – Part One

A roll call of the creative talents who said their last goodbyes in 2008.

Peter Caffrey – actor. Best known for his role in popular BBC drama, Ballykissangel. Other credits include Father Ted, Casualty, The Bill and Peak Practice.

Natasha Collins – Children’s Television Presenter. Natasha worked on various Children’s BBC programmes throughout the 1990s, including See It, Saw It where she met future fiancée Mark Speight, a co-presenter on the series. Natasha died after a night of partying aged only 31.

Keith Baxter – musician. Died at the age of 36 from a gastro-intestinal haemorrage. Bands he had been a member of as a drummer include Skyclad and 3 Colours Red.

Rowan Ayers – Television Producer. Shows include Points Of View, Late Night Line Up, Open Door and The Old Grey Whistle Test. In 1974 Rowan moved to Australia where he continued to work in television for the Nine Network.

Rod Allen – musician. Rod will be best remembered as the lead singer of pop group, The Fortunes. He stayed with the group for over forty years – right up until his death from cancer aged 63. Hits include You’ve Got Your Troubles and Here It Comes Again.

Carole Lynne – actress. Died aged 89 from motor neuron disease. Possibly more famous, in later years at least, for being the wife of entertainment mogul Lord Bernard Delfont (brother of Lew Grade). She was also known as Baroness Delfont of Stepney. Her acting career was mainly theatre based however she did make notable film appearances in The Ghost Train and Asking For Trouble in the 1940s. She had previously been married to Crossroads actor Derek Farr in the late 1930s and early 40s.

Kevin Stoney – actor. Kevin will possibly be best remembered thanks to his many appearances in the original series of Doctor Who. He also starred in lavish drama I Claudius as well as many other classic of the day including Danger Man, The Avengers, Blake’s 7 and The Saint. Died from skin cancer aged 86.

Diane Chenery-Wickens – Emmy award-winning Television make-up artist. She worked on such programmes as Casualty, House Of Elliott, Victoria Wood and Pride and Prejudice in a career which spanned over 20 years with the BBC. Diane was murdered by her husband.

Jeremy Beadle – presenter. Died in January from pneumonia. A stalwart of 1980s and 90s ITV Saturday night television with such shows as Game For A Laugh, You’ve Been Framed! and Beadle’s About – the latter which saw Jeremy play pranks on unsuspecting members of the public.

Edward Wilson – actor. Having started out as a theatre actor, he may be more fondly looked upon for his role as Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre, where he nurtured many future stars including Catherine Tate, Orlando Bloom, David Walliams, Matt Lucas and Daniel Craig. He also had a long running role in BBC drama, When The Boat Comes In.

Jane Lumb – actress and model. Died from breast cancer. Noted for her long running role as the girl in Fry’s Turkish Delight advertisements. She also worked as a supporting artist in films: Goldfinger, Carry On Cleo, Doctor Who and the Daleks and Carry On Spying. Her sister married musician George Harrison.

Chris Townson – musician. Drummer who worked with popular artists such as Marc Bolan, The Who and Jet.

John Maynard – actor, script editor and writer. Working alongside EastEnders’ co-creator Tony Holland John helped shape the early years of the BBC soap. John began his television career in 1965 and many productions followed. These include Z Cars, Doctor Finlay’s Casebook and A Passage To India. At the BBC he devised many of the now classic EastEnders characters – including legendary Frank Butcher. He also worked on the short-lived Eldorado serial.

Emily Perry – actress. The much-loved silent side-kick of Dame Edna Everage. Died aged 100. She featured in many of the comedy shows of Edna including Neighbourhood Watch, The Dame Edna Experience and A Night On Mount Edna. Perry also appeared in other programmes without the ‘megastar housewife’ beside her – including a role in Last Of The Summer Wine.

Mary Barclay – actress. Best known for her role in ITV soap opera Crossroads where she played the mother-in-law from hell, Stella Dane. Other roles include parts in the BBC wartime drama Secret Army, comedy Steptoe and Son and in films A Touch Of Class and Sex and the Other Woman.

Norman Smith – musician and music producer. Better known as “Hurricane Smith” – a name which saw him have chart success with self-penned song, Don’t Let It Die. In production he worked as an engineer, and later producer, of pop group The Beatles. He also worked with Pink Floyd.

Carol Barnes – presenter. A popular face of ITN News; where she worked as a reporter and later presenter. In 1994 Barnes was voted Newscaster of the Year at the TV and Radio Industries Club Awards. She worked for the ITV news service regularly from 1975 to 1999, with occasional appearances there after until 2004. Programmes she hosted include flagship News At Ten, ITN Lunchtime News, News At 5.45 and also worked on the now defunct ITV News Channel. In 2008 Carol returned to ITV as a reporter on their current affairs programme, ‘Tonight’. A few weeks later she suffered a stroke, which she never recovered from.

John Hewer – actor. Died aged 86, will be best remembered as ‘Captain Birdseye’ from their television commercials. He was also seen on their packaging from 1967 to 1998.

Tony Church – actor. Best known for his Shakespearean theatre roles. Appeared on television and theatre in dramas Work Is A Four Letter Word, As You Like It and Tess.

Sir Geoffrey Sandford Cox – television executive. Joined ITN – Independent Television News – in 1956 as News Editor. In 1967 he devised and launched News At Ten for ITV.

Francis Coleman – television producer. Canadian born Francis was lured to England by Granada Television in Manchester where he worked on a number of programmes including Chelsea at Nine and Spot The Tune. He later switched to ATV Television in London where he produced Steam and Stained Glass noted as being the UK‘s first hidden camera series, he also oversaw the first British consumer rights show, On The Braden Beat. Coleman also worked in executive roles at London Weekend Television and BBC Two.

Willoughby Goddard – actor. A television acting career spanned over forty years. His ‘rotund’ figure helped him win the role of Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist twice over: once in a television adaptation and also on stage. Other credits include Space 1999, Public Eye and The Saint. Died aged 81.

Mark Speight – Children’s Television Presenter. Following in the footsteps of Tony Hart, Mark brought art to a whole new generation of children with his work on the Children’s BBC series Smart. His creative talent was also seen alongside Rolf Harris in his ‘On Art’ show. Other presenting roles include as host of Saturday morning magazine show Scratchy and Co and The Big Breakfast. Mark died aged 42.

Hazel Court – actress. A star of stage and screen, Hazel is best known for her parts in many horror movies of the 1950s and 60s. Died from a heart attack aged 82.

Brian Davison – musician. A drummer best known for his work with the group, The Nice.

Tristram Cary – composer. His concert works include A Sonata for Guitar, A Cantata Peccata Mundi and Contours and Densities at First Hill. Television Cary also composed music for television series such as Doctor Who and The Ladykillers.

Tarka Cordell – music producer and performer. Produced a self-sung album; Wide Awake in a Dream. Tarka was also known to model and is noted to have been good friends with fellow catwalk stars Kate Moss and Sadie Frost.

Micky Waller – musician. Drummer who worked with performers Joe Brown, Long John Baldry, Julie Driscoll and Rod Stewart to name only a few.

Bernard Archard – actor. Died aged 91. Bernard featured in over fifty films and many television series too. These include: Doctor Who, Z Cars, Danger Man, The Professionals, Dixon of Dock Green and Upstairs Downstairs.

Jill Adams – actress. Starred in over 25 movies of the 1950s and 60s including Brothers In Law, Doctor At Sea and The Green Man. Jill also worked in theatre and radio; not only in the UK but also in Europe, the USA and Australia. Died aged 77 from cancer.

Jolyon Brettingham Smith – composer. A long and distinguished music career includes many radio, television and stage compositions.

Margot Boyd – actress. Her most recent – and longest running role – was for the BBC Radio serial, The Archers. Where she had been a regular since 1984. Television credits include Upstairs Downstairs, The Kids From 47A and Dixon Of Dock Green.

Iona Banks – actress. Star of Welsh soap opera, Pobol y Cwm and known to the wider world for her role in the film, Our Day Out.

Rob Knox – Was tragically murdered, aged 18, in an unprovoked stabbing incident. The young actor had starred in many productions. These include BBC sitcom, After You’ve Gone, ITV’s The Bill and also a Harry Potter movie.
 
Nat Temple – musician. His band provided live music accompaniment for television programmes such as The Frankie Howerd Show, Crackerjack, Noel Edmonds’ Time Of Your Life and The Russell Harty Show.

Mike Scott – presenter and producer. Become noticed in front of the camera in his reporter role on Granada Televisions hard-hitting investigation series, World In Action. He moved onto Central Television in 1987 where he launched – as presenter – daytime debate show, The Time, The Place. Prior to this he has worked as programme controller at Granada.

Jonathan Routh – presenter and actor. Most fondly remembered for his role on wind-up series, Candid Camera, and its follow-up series; Nice Time – which co-starred Kenny Everett.

David Brierly – actor. Best known for his voice – heard but never seen in a series of Doctor Who; where he voiced the metal robot dog – K-9.

Tony Melody – actor. Died aged 85. Last appeared on television in 2003 in an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine, but had previously been seen over many years in numerous programmes including several roles in Coronation Street. The first appearance on ‘the street’ being in 1965; and the last in 2000. He also starred in many television drama series including Heartbeat, Boon and Juliet Bravo.
 
Part Two Tomorrow.