Obituaries
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Simon Gray
The author of 40 plays, television plays and screenplays, and five novels, Simon Gray was a key figure in 20th-century British drama. His bitingly comic plays Butley, Otherwise Engaged and Quartermaine’s Terms were all major West End and Broadway successes, and in recent years he earned notoriety for his series of hilarious diaries, The Smoking Diaries and The Last Cigarette.
Jon Miller
Jon Miller was one of the original presenters of How, ITV’s hugely popular children’s educational programme, that managed to combine scientific questions with knockabout humour.
Lita Roza
Big band singer Lita Roza was one of the most successful recording artists of her generation. Known as “the singer’s singer”, she made her name with the Ted Heath Band and remained in his star line-up, alongside Dickie Valentine and Dennis Lotis, until pursuing a solo career. Her many hits included Jimmy Unknown and To Young to Go Steady, and her original rendition of Allentown Jail is regarded by jazz musicians as the best recorded version of the ballad ever.
Terence Rigby
Actor Terence Rigby was familiar to TV viewers for his roles in series such as Softly, Softly, in which he played PC Snow, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, in which he was cast as the Soviet expert Roy Bland.
Bill Cotton
Former BBC head of light entertainment and controller of BBC1, Sir Bill Cotton oversaw some of the Corporation’s most enduring shows of the seventies, including Dad’s Army, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies and Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Sonny Okosuns
One of Nigeria’s greatest guitarists, songwriters and singers, Sonny Okosuns, has died after a long fight against cancer at the Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, at the age of 61. During his long, illustrious musical and theatrical career, Okosuns released more than 40 albums.
George Furth
George Furth, the Broadway actor and playwright who wrote the books for the Stephen Sondheim musicals Company and Merrily We Roll Along, has died, aged 75.
Peter Coke
Actor and playwright Peter Coke was known for his portrayal of detective Paul Temple in the long-running BBC Radio series. He played Temple from 1954-68 and won further fame in 2003 when the series was repeated on BBC7.
Jennifer Hilary
Jennifer Hilary had a successful career both on the West End stage and on Broadway. She co-starred with Richard Briers in the original West End production of Alan Ayckbourn’s early hit Relatively Speaking (1967) and on Broadway she appeared in Sir John Gielgud’s aacclaimed 1966 production of Chekhov’s Ivanov.
Petrus Bosman
Choreographer, dancer and teacher Petrus Bosman, who died on July 19, was the first soloist to be accepted into the Royal Ballet without previously attending its prestigious school.
Bryan Cowgill
Bryan Cowgill came to prominence as the BBC’s first head of sport, but subsequently became BBC1’s most successful controller. From 1974 he developed and oversaw such BBC series as The Good Life, Porridge and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, as well as the drama series When the Boat Comes In, All Creatures Great and Small and Poldark.
Hugh Mendl
A key figure at Decca Records, Hugh Mendl was a respected producer and A&R and label manager for more than four decades. He produced and worked with such names as the Moody Blues, Lonnie Donegan, Tommy Steele, Joan Regan and Dickie Valentine, as well as producing LPs of many stage shows, including Hello, Dolly! and Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be. He was also instrumental in signing David Bowie and Genesis to the Decca label.
Malcolm Sircom
My father, writer, musician and musical director Malcolm Sircom died on June 11, aged 73. He enjoyed a long career in the theatre, first as musical director in music hall and pantomime, before switching to writing review and musicals through the sixties to the nineties.
Ashley Thorne
It is with great sorrow and immense pride that I write this obituary for my friend and colleague Ashley Thorne, who died at the age of 64 on May 14.
Hugh Lloyd
Lugubrious comic actor Hugh Lloyd, once described as looking like a melancholic mole, gained national TV fame when he appeared with Tony Hancock in Hancock’s Half Hour and Terry Scott in the long-running sitcoms Hugh and I and The Gnomes of Dulwich. He also partnered Peggy Mount in the comedy series Lollipop Loves Mrs Mole and more recently he starred in You Rang M’Lord.
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