The Last Farewell 2008 – Part Two

The second installment of our tribute to those who left us in 2008. This section covers the final six months of the year.

The second installment of our tribute to those who left us in 2008. This section covers the final six months of the year.

Elizabeth Spriggs – actress. Will be remembered for many roles, including appearances in Shine On Harvey Moon, Doctor Who and Midsomer Murders. She also appeared in many movies, including in 2001; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Clive Hornby – actor. Became a household name as Jack Sugden in ITV’s long running Yorkshire-based serial, Emmerdale Farm. Clive joined the cast in 1980 and remained through its transformation into Emmerdale in 1989 until having to leave due to ill health in February 2008. Clive also appeared in other television series prior to his soap stay. These include Space 1999, Get Some In and Minder.

Hugh Lewis Lloyd – actor. Died aged 85. Best known for his role in Hancock’s Half Hour. A long career with many other television roles followed. These include parts in You Rang M’Lord, Hugh and I and Jury.

Bryan Cowgill – television executive. Worked at the BBC as Head of Sport, Controller of BBC One and later joined Thames Television as Managing Director. Devised the long running sports magazine show, Grandstand; which ran on the BBC from 1958 to 2007.

Estelle Getty – actress. Best remembered for her role in Channel 4 sitcom, The Golden Girls and its spin-off series; The Golden Palace.

Greg Burson – actor. Was the voice of many Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters – including Yogi Bear.

Peter Coke – actor and writer. Coke became the seventh actor to take the role of Paul Temple in the long running radio serial.

Roger Dean – musician. Guitar player Roger had performed with many bands and groups during the 1960s. In the 1970s he worked in television as part of ‘show bands.’

Terence Rigby – actor. A long and varied career saw Terence go from Police Officer Snow in the long running series Softly Softly to Tommy Lancaster the owner of the Crossroads Motel. Many other film and television roles gained Rigby’s broad acting range. These include; Our Friends in the North, Lovejoy, Boon and Holby City.

Bill Cotton – television executive. A long career with the BBC saw Cotton work as Head of Entertainment – a role which saw Bill bring Morecambe and Wise to the corporation. He also helped launch other shows such as The Generation Game, The Two Ronnies and Monty Python. He later progressed to Controller of BBC One and then Managing Director of Television up until 1987. In later years he was Chairman of ITV regional company, Meridian Television.

Eric Longworth – actor. Best known for his role in BBC sitcom, Dad’s Army where he played town clerk Mr Gordon.

Mark Priestley – actor. Best known in the UK for his role in Australian soap, All Saints. Died aged 32.

Geoffrey Perkins – actor, producer and writer. In front of the camera he was a regular on BBC Two’s comedy show ‘KYTV’ in the early 1990s. As producer he gave us shows such as Father Ted, Have I Got News For You, Drop The Dead Donkey and The Fast Show. Perkins also worked at the BBC as Head Of Comedy during the 1990s.

Kenneth Campbell – actor, writer and director. Mainly working in theatre Ken did venture on-screen in the world of television too. Arguably his most remembered role is that of a neighbour to bigot Alf Garnett in 1980s sitcom In Sickness and In Health.

Celia Gregory – actress. Best known for her role in the 1970s BBC drama, Survivors. Other programmes featuring Celia include: Tales of the Unexpected, Bergerac and The Professionals.

William Fox – actor. Died aged 97. A well known actor of the theatre world from the 1930s up until the 1960s; when after acting in some television and film, he began to write for the genre. Later on-screen acting roles included parts in Yes, Prime Minister, When The Boat Comes In and The Duchess Of Duke Street.

Ian Collier – actor. Well known for his roles in BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. Other drama roles included parts in Boon, House of Cards, All Creatures Great and Small and Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

Peter Copley – actor. Television roles include parts in Thorndyke, Danger Man, The Avengers, The Forsyte Saga, The Champions, Department S and One Foot in the Grave.

Bob Friend – television presenter. Best remembered for his role as one of the main news anchors of Sky News and as a reporter on BBC Breakfast Time. Also featured as himself in a couple of movies.

Mark Shivas – television producer. Starting his career at the BBC in the 1960s Mark produced some iconic programming. Shows include dramas The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Casanova. In later years he worked as Head of Drama at the corporation before switching to BBC Films.

Russ Hamilton – musician. A popular singer of the 1950s. Songs include; I Had A Dream, Rainbow and I Still Belong To You.

Peter Gordeno – musician, actor and dancer. Television wise will be noted for his role as Peter Carlin in the ITC series, UFO.

John Axon – actor. In recent years will be best known for his role as Nigel Harper in ITV’s popular Sunday night 1960s-based drama, The Royal. He had been signed up to star in the forthcoming 2009 series of hit Channel 4 show Shameless when he died of a heart attack aged 48.

Roy Stewart – actor. Made notable film appearances in productions such as Carry On Up The Jungle, Live And Let Die and Twins Of Evil. Television work includes parts in Doctor Who, Doomwatch, I Claudius and Up Pompeii.

Chris Bryant – television writer. Credits include; Special Branch, Don’t Look Now and Miracle At Midnight.

John Ringham  – actor. Died aged 80. Appeared in Doctor Who three times as well as a long running role in the BBC sitcom, Just Good Friends. Other notable appearances include; Birds of a Feather, Taggart, Are You Being Served? and The Avengers.

David Lloyd Meredith – actor. Best known for his long-running role in BBC police series, Softly Softly.

John Pearse – musician and presenter. Noted as being the first person to write and host a series of televised guitar lessons on the BBC in the show, Hold Down a Chord. Other television series’ followed.

John Daly – producer. Noted for such films as Melody, Tommy and The Triple Echo.

Stuart Easton – cameraman. Died aged 46 from heart problems. Worked as the ‘key grip’ on BBC soap opera, EastEnders.

John (Jack) Scott – weather presenter. John made his television debut in May 1969 as Jack Scott; the BBC‘s twentieth weather forecaster. He stayed with the beeb in this role until 1983, when he retired aged 60. He continued to work in television however with regular weather guest-spots on BBC chat show Pebble Mill at One. He also worked for ITV and Channel 4 as a weather presenter up until the late 1980s.

John Mitchell – musician. Best known for his work as a drummer with band ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience.’

Reg Varney – actor and musician. Best known for his work at London Weekend Television in their long running sitcom, On the Buses. He also starred in his own LWT variety series, The Other Reg Varney.

Dudley Savage – presenter and musician. Best known for his broadcasting work on BBC Radio. Dudley died aged 88.

Bob Spiers – television producer and director. Work includes Faulty Towers, Dad’s Army, Are You Being Served?, French and Saunders and more recently Absolutely Fabulous.

Oliver Postgate – children’s television producer. Best known programmes created by Postgate include Bagpuss, The Clangers and Ivor The Engine.

Kathy Staff – actress. Best known for her roles in BBC sitcom The Last Of The Summer Wine and ITV soap opera Crossroads. Other roles include parts in Emmerdale Farm, Coronation Street and Open All Hours.

Eartha Kitt  – musician and actress. Best known television wise for her role as ‘Catwoman’ in the third series of Batman. She had a long music career with many hit songs including; Santa Baby, Old Fashioned Girl, I Love Men and Where Is My Man. Died aged 81 from cancer.

The soap file returns on January 10th 2009.