Comic Malcolm Hardee found dead
Comedian Malcolm Hardee has been found dead in the River Thames in south east London on Wednesday - two days after he had last been seen.
The stand-up, described as one of the most colourful characters on the circuit, had last been seen on Sunday night taking the dingy from his pub, the Wibbly Wobbly, on a converted barge in Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe in south London to his houseboat. A post mortem was due to be held this week.
Hardee ran some of the most notoriously tough comedy clubs in London including The Tunnel at Rotherhithe and more recently Up the Creek, Greenwich, although he had ceded control in the past few years. He was best known as part of balloon comedy troupe Greatest Show on Legs and was a regular at the Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe festivals.
The son of a tugboat man, he turned to comedy after numerous brushes with the law and stints in detention centres. He was well known for outrageous behaviour, sometimes urinating on hecklers.
A memorial service is expected to be arranged soon.
Also from The Stage
External links
The Stage Online is not responsible for the content of external sites.
To contact the Stage news team email newsdesk@thestage.co.uk or call 020 7403 1818, selecting option 2 (editorial) followed by option 1 (newsdesk).
If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
Follow The Stage on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest entertainment industry news to your desktop or mobile.
Latest news
- Madani Younis announces debut Bush season
- Madani Younis has unveiled his inaugural season as artistic director of London’s Bush Theatre, saying he intends to…
- Two stage adaptations of The Great Gatsby to open in London
- A New York ensemble is to stage an eight-hour production of The Great Gatsby, as part of the London International…
- Bongo fringe venue given marching orders from Edinburgh University-owned home
- Leading independent Edinburgh Fringe venue, the Bongo Club, has been given notice to quit its University of…
- Garrow’s Law axed by BBC
- Garrow’s Law, the BBC1 drama created by Tony Marchant, has been axed by the Corporation after three series.
- HighTide Festival announces 2012 programme
- This year’s HighTide Festival will feature 18 premieres, a significant expansion that has been made possible as a…
- Emmy winner to pen musical version of A Tale of Two Cities
- A new musical production of A Tale of Two Cities is to run in London later this spring, and will be directed by actor…
Content is copyright © 2012 The Stage Media Company Limited unless otherwise stated.
All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)