Necrolog 2020
31 December 2020 tbs.pm/72241
Some notable deaths of television and radio people this past year. The month given may be out slightly as not all published obituaries give an exact date of death; where we’re not sure, we’ve added a ≈ and encourage corrections in the comments.
January
- Derek Acorah, 69 – TV ‘medium’
- Paul Addison, 76 – historian, Now the War is Over
- Christopher Beeny, 78 – actor, In Loving Memory
- Jim Biddle – sound recordist, Southern Independent Television ≈
- Julia Breck, 78 – actor, Spike Milligan’s Q
- Stephen Clements, 47 – presenter, BBC Radio Ulster
- Marian Finucane, 69 – broadcaster, RTÉ
- Derek Fowlds, 82 – actor, Yes, Minister
- Tony Garnett, 83 – story editor, The Wednesday Play
- Larry Gogan, 85 – broadcaster, RTÉ
- Peter Hobday, 82 – presenter, BBC Radio 4
- Terry Jones, 77 – Monty Python
- Andrée Melly, 87 – actor, Hancock’s Half Hour
- Penny Morrell, 81 – actor, Five Children and It
- Nicholas Parsons, 96 – Just a Minute
- Alan Pattillo, 90 – director, Thunderbirds
- David Smeeton, 83 – BBC foreign correspondent
- Bob Southgate, 85 – controller of news at TVS
- Alex Theodossiadis, 25 – presenter, Rinse FM
February
- David Callister, 84 – broadcaster, Manx Radio
- Pearl Carr, 98 – BBC Eurovision Song Contest entrant 1959
- Heather Couper, 70 – astronomer
- Caroline Flack, 40 – ITV2 presenter, Love Island
- Michael Medwin, 96 – actor, Shoestring
- Keelin Shanley, 51 – broadcaster, RTÉ
- John Shrapnel, 77 – actor, Elizabeth R
- Simon Warr, 66 – host, Mastermind (when Magnus Magnusson was a contestant)
- Charles Wood, 87 – playwright, A Bit of…
- Ailie Worster, 86 – BBC announcer ≈
March
- Chris Barrett, 75 – producer, Meridian Broadcasting ≈
- David Collings, 79 – actor, Sapphire & Steel
- Hilary Dwyer, 74 – actor, The Avengers
- Julie Felix, 81 – singer
- James Gordon, 83 – managing director of Radio Clyde 1973-96
- Johnny Harris, 87 – band leader, Colour My World
- Tony Hiller, 30 – presenter, Kennet Radio
- Roy Hudd, 83 – actor/comedian
- Andrew Jack, 76 – actor, Whack-O!
- Jeremy Marre, 76 – director, Beats of the Heart
- Bill Martin, 81 – songwriter, Puppet on a String
- Pete Mitchell, 61 – presenter, Piccadilly Radio
- David Sells, 91 – BBC foreign correspondent
- James Wilson – news editor, Stray FM
- Hamish Wilson, 77 – actor, Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who, briefly
April
- Mike Appleton, 83 – producer, The Old Grey Whistle Test
- Sean Arnold, 79 – actor, Grange Hill
- Pip Baker, 91 – scriptwriter, Doctor Who
- Jay Benedict, 68 – actor, Emmerdale
- Honor Blackman, 94 – actor, The Avengers
- Tim Brooke-Taylor, 79 – The Goodies
- Malcolm Dixon, 66 – actor, The Goodies
- Lynn Faulds Wood, 72 – broadcaster, Watchdog
- Terence Frisby, 87 – playwright, Lucky Feller
- Jill Gascoine, 83 – actor, The Gentle Touch
- David Harvey, 59 – presenter, BBC Southern Counties ≈
- BJ Hogg, 65 – actor, Give My Head Peace
- Paul Lambert, c61 – BBC producer
- Eddie Large, 78 – comedian
- Ken Nightinghall, 92 – boom operator
- Ronan O’Rahilly, 79 – founder, Radio Caroline
- Ida Schuster, 101 – actor, STV’s Doctor Finlay
- Herb Stempel, 93 – whistleblower on the Twenty-One scandal
- Diane Tammes, 78 – documentary maker
- Hedley Versey, 101 – head of lighting, Southern Independent Television
May
- Michael Angelis, 76 – actor, Boys from the Blackstuff
- Heather Chasen, 92 – actor, Crossroads
- Dick Gilbert, 82 – deputy editor, The Listener ≈
- Michael Green, 76 – industrial correspondent, ITN ≈
- Ann Ladbury, 88 – presenter, Houseparty
- Ken Rees, 76 – reporter, ITN
- Tony Scannell, 74 – actor, The Bill
- Jerry Stiller, 92 – comic actor
- Roger Summerskill – presenter, BBC Radio Merseyside
June
- John Benfield, 68 – actor, Hippies
- Lester Crystal, 85 – producer, The Huntley-Brinkley Report
- Julian Curry, 82 – actor, Rumpole of the Bailey
- Ian Holm, 88 – narrator, Horizon
- Philip Latham, 91 – actor, The Troubleshooters
- Louis Mahoney, 81 – actor, The Professionals
- Harry Smith, 69 – political correspondent, STV and ITN
- Malcolm Terris, 79 – actor, When the Boat Comes In
- Ricky Valance, 84 – singer
- Tony Wright, 55 – presenter, Red Dragon Radio ≈
July
- Johnny Beattie, 93 – actor, Rab C Nesbit
- Richard Bright, 51 – documentary producer/director ≈
- Earl Cameron, 102 – actor, Emergency – Ward 10
- Tom Davies, 54 – presenter, TFM
- Olivia de Havilland, 104 – actor
- Sydney Lotterby, 93 – BBC producer/director
- Mary Miller, 90 – actor, The Younger Generation
- Fred Morrison – blindfolded cameraman on The Golden Shot ≈
- Chris Needs, 66 – presenter, BBC Radio Wales
- Regis Philbin, 88 – US broadcaster
- Maurice Roëves, 83 – actor, Scobie in September
- Annie Ross, 89 – actor/singer, The Ghosts of Motley Hall
- Steve Sutherland – presenter, Galaxy FM
- Andrew ‘Tommo’ Thomas, 53 – presenter, BBC Radio Cymru
- Ena Thomas, 85 – chef, Heno
August
- Brian Black, 70s – presenter, Ulster Television
- Richard Cartridge – presenter, BBC Radio Solent ≈
- Doreen Davies, head of music, BBC Radio 1 ≈
- Paul Knight, 76 – LWT producer
- Ann Lynn, 86 – actor, Just Good Friends
- Joe Lyons – producer, Capital FM
- Clive McNeil, 67 – presenter, Manx Radio
- Paul Melba, 84 – comedian, Who Do You Do?
- Tony Morris, 57 – presenter, Granada Reports
- David Mercer, 70 – tennis commentator, BBC Wales
- Leslie Randall, 95 – actor, Joan and Leslie
- Sumner Redstone, 97 – CBS owner
- Martin Short, 76 – documentary maker, Dispatches
- Robin Sinton – VT editor, Tyne Tees Television ≈
- Peter Tiffin, 86 – producer/director, ITN ≈
- Graham Watts, 97 – producer/director, Rediffusion ≈
- Stevie Webster, 36 – presenter, Cabin FM
September
- Joan Blackham, 74 – actor, Take a Letter, Mr Jones
- Ronald Forfar, 81 – actor, Bread
- Barbara Jefford, 90 – actor, The House of Eliott
- John Walter Jones, 74 – chairman, S4C Authority
- Aidan Laverty, 55 – editor, Horizon
- Colin Leventhal, 73 – head of legal, Channel 4
- Rodney Litchfield, 81 – actor, Early Doors
- Caroline Mortimer, 78 – actor, Intrigue
- Diana Rigg, 82 – actor, The Avengers
- Tony Tanner, 87 – actor, Call It What You Like
- Frank Windsor, 92 – actor, Softly, Softly
October
- Bobby Ball, 76 – comedian
- Frank Bough, 87 – presenter, BBC Breakfast Time
- Sean Connery, 90 – actor
- Julie Donaldson, 50 – presenter, Zetland FM
- John Duncanson, 80 – announcer, ABC Weekend TV
- Johnny Leeze, 78 – actor, Emmerdale
- Margaret Nolan, 76 – actor, Budgie
- Johnny Owen, 66 – presenter, Signal Radio
- John Wilford, 80 – news editor, Yorkshire Television ≈
- Tony Wyn-Jones, 77 – presenter, BBC Radio 1
November
- Miles Barton, 61 – wildlife producer ≈
- Betty Bobbitt, 81 – actor, Prisoner Cell Block H
- John Fraser, 89 – actor, Thundercloud
- Eric Hall, 73 – presenter, Time 107.5 ≈
- Basil Moss, 85 – actor, UFO
- Des O’Connor, 88 – multi-talented broadcaster
- Geoffrey Palmer, 93 – actor, As Time Goes By
- Dave Prowse, 85 – The Green Cross Code Man
- John Sessions, 67 – actor, Porterhouse Blue
- Alex Trebek, 80 – host, Jeopardy!
- Philip Voss, 84 – actor, Melissa
December
- Peter Alliss, 89 – golf commentator
- Kenneth Alwyn, 95 – conductor, Friday Night is Music Night
- Jeremy Bulloch, 75 – actor, Robin Hood
- Marcus D’Amico, 55 – actor, Family Affairs
- Kevin Geary, 66 – BBC sports correspondent
- Rodney Greenberg, 79 – director, BBCtv
- Rosalind Knight, 87 – actor, Buddenbrooks
- Martin Lambie-Nairn, 75 – graphic designer
- John le Carré, 89 – author, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Ewan Macleod, 48 – presenter, Beat 106
- Rishi Modi, 35 – presenter, Sabras Radio
- Michelle Mullane, 50 – presenter, XFM
- Kay Purcell, 57 – actor, Tracy Beaker
- Adele Rose, 87 – creator, Byker Grove
- Umberto Saoncella – presenter, Piccadilly Radio
- Chad Stuart, 79 – British singer in America (Chad & Jeremy), The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Neville Wanless, 89 – announcer, Tyne Tees Television
- Barbara Windsor, 83 – actor, EastEnders
Too many people died with COVID-19 in this terrible year. As soon as it becomes available to you, please get vaccinated.
You Say
4 responses to this article
Paul Mason wrote 31 January 2021 at 7:17 am
Andrew Nelly was an early panellist on Just A Minute, who sadly died around the same time as Nicholas Parsons.
Paul Mason wrote 31 January 2021 at 7:23 am
Every year the BBC News Channel has a programme called We Remember, but those who pass away after 20th December slip through the net.They should broadcast We Remember on New Year’s Eve and repeat over a week as they do with yearly review programmes.
Paul Mason wrote 6 February 2021 at 3:01 am
Oh dear the algorithms have damaged an article For Andrew Nelly read ANDREE MELLY
Paul Mason wrote 6 February 2021 at 3:05 am
Andree Melly not Andrew Nelly.
Your comment
Enter it below