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iwarburton
Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:44 am Post subject: RIP Mr Higginbottom |
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Actor and singer Tony Melody has died at the age of 85.
R2 listeners of a certain age will remember him in many episodes of the Clitheroe Kid, in which he played a number of parts, most notably that of Jimmy's neighbour, the thuggish taxi driver Horatio Higginbottom. Such was Higgy's ill-concealed detestation of Jimmy's series character that he perpetually addressed him simply as Clitheroe. You can catch occasional repeats on BBC7 but not many of the show's recordings have been preserved.
TM made many other film, radio and TV appearances and some may remember him playing John Nettles' boss in early episodes of BBC1's Bergerac.
He was also a singer but apparently Melody was his real name and not a manufactured one.
My sympathy to his family.
Ian. |
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RockitRon
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I had noticed this a few days ago and wondered whether to mention it. Hugh Lloyd also died last week, at the same age.
Both were very much supporting comic actors who turned up regularly in many radio and tv comedies. I remember Tony Melody as the milkman who taught Harold to dance in Steptoe & Son; Hugh was for many years the foil to Terry Scott (in Hugh and I) and his most famous couple of minutes must have been as the chap who made off with Tony Hancock's wine gums after they'd both given blood.
Both of them continued to work almost until their deaths, and didn't confine themselves to comedy - Tony played Len Fallows in the dramatisation of the Harold Shipman case, Hugh had a part in a Foyle's War, and only last week ITV repeated the episode of Doc Martin he appeared in, as the old chap with the terrible smell which turned out to be his dead budgie inside his shopping bag.
Sad to hear of their passing, but they will not be forgotten. _________________ Ron |
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iwarburton
Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, sorry I forgot to mention Hugh Lloyd. Funnily enough both he and I were educated at the King's School, Chester--but 25 years apart, of course!
Ian. |
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