R.i.p. | Tellyspotting

March 9, 2021
R.I.P. — Tony Hendra, the man who ‘shrunk Stonehenge’!

You may not know his name but anyone that has followed the careers of Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls and David St. Hubbins, a.k.a. Spinal Tap, the world's greatest fictional English heavy metal band, will definitely know his work as Ian Faith, the manager of the band in This is Spinal Tap. Tony Hendra, forever known as the man who 'shrunk Stonehenge' for the bands title song, "Stonehenge" died late last week in Yonkers, NY at the age of 79 after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) since 2019.
Read more
December 13, 2020
John le Carré, the author who gave us George Smiley, has died at age 89.

British espionage writer John le Carré has died aged 89, following a short bout with pneumonia, his literary agent has said. There was no end to the author’s greatness who gave us the likes of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Smiley’s People, The Honorable Schoolboy and A Legacy of Spies to name but a […]
Read more
November 6, 2020
British acting legend, Geoffrey Palmer, passes away at 93. RIP, Geoffrey.

From Jimmy Anderson in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin to Ben Parkinson in Butterflies to Lionel Hardcastle in As Time Goes By, Geoffrey Palmer has been a constant fixture in our collective British comedy lives for the better part of four decades with these three series alone. Palmer, who had numerous guest roles in series such as Doctor Who, Inspector Morse, Blackadder Goes Forth, Poirot, Ashes to Ashes and Rev, had perhaps his most well-known guest starring role as Dr Price in "The Kipper and the Corpse" episode of Fawlty Towers in 1979. With a celebrated career that spanned seven decades, Palmer, who turned 93 years young in June of this year, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, 5 November.
Read more
September 10, 2020
R.I.P. — Acting legend, Dame Diana Rigg, passes away at 82.

Sadly, Dame Diana Rigg has passed away at the age of 82. While an entire generation may only know her from HBO's Game of Thrones and, possibly, PBS' Victoria, much of the world will no doubt remember the acting legend from her time on The Avengers alongside Patrick McNee as secret agent Emma Peel or in the James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, where she holds the distinction of being only woman to have ever married James Bond, or from her time serving as the host of the PBS series, Mystery, from 1989 to 2003.
Read more
July 31, 2020
Leaving the world with a lifetime of laughter to enjoy forever, legendary comedy producer/director, Sydney Lotterby, dies at 93

While we never had the good fortune to speak with Sydney for our any of our PBS specials that featured not only the stars of some of the all-time great British comedy series but also focused on the writers and creators of some of the classics of British comedy, it was through the words of John Cleese, Dame Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Jenny Funnell, Moira Brooker, Philip Bretherton, Richard Briers, Michael Crawford, Roy Clarke, David Jason, Karl Howman, Bob Larbey and Frank Thornton that we were immediately schooled on the greatness that was Sydney Lotterby.
Read more
April 13, 2020
R.I.P. — Tim Brooke-Taylor, 1/3 of ‘The Goodies’ and ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ dies at 79

Tim Brooke-Taylor, best known as one third of The Goodies – died Sunday at the age of 79, after contracting coronavirus. Brooke-Taylor’s career spanned more than six decades with his comedic roots planted in the Cambridge Footlights Club which he joined in 1960 and later became President of in 1963. His membership in the Footlights caused […]
Read more
April 10, 2020
Ultimate Bond girl and original Avenger, Honor Blackman, dies at 94.

Honor Blackman, the British actress best known for portraying the James Bond girl Pussy Galore in 1964’s Goldfinger, died Sunday of natural causes at the age of 94. While Goldfinger would go on to become a massive hit in the Bond franchise, it would be the only Bond film she would appear in. While Blackman will 'live forever' as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, her career spanned an awesome eight decades.
Read more
January 23, 2020
R.I.P. — Monty Python founder, Life of Brian director, Terry Jones, dies at 77.

These R.I.P. posts seems to be coming at an alarmingly fast rate these days and while all of them are devastating to those of us that have literally grown up on British comedy and drama, this one painfully hits home. The wondefully brilliant Terry Jones has died. A statement from his family said, “Terry passed away […]
Read more
January 18, 2020
R.I.P, Derek Fowlds, a.k.a. Bernard Woolley, private secretary in ‘Yes Minister’

Derek Fowlds, best known for starring in Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, has died at the age of 82. Long-time public television audiences in America will remember Fowlds for playing the private secretary Bernard Woolley in the iconic BBC sitcoms opposite Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington.
Read more
January 3, 2020
MC Beaton, author of Agatha Raisin & Hamish MacBeth novels, dies at 83

Known throughout the world as the creator of the much loved fictional detectives Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, author Marion Chesney Gibbons, a.k.a. MC Beaton, died Monday at the age of 83 after a short illness.
Read more