R.I.P. – Roger Lloyd Pack
Maybe not a household name, but to those that have been long time or recent fans of British comedy, Roger Lloyd Pack was a friend. The accomplished actor passed away yesterday, losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. Lloyd Pack was known to millions of fans as Trigger on Only Fools and Horses, local farmer and a parish council member, Owen, in Vicar of Dibley and a more recent co-starring role with Keeping Up Appearances star, Clive Swift, in The Old Guys.
In Only Fools and Horses, Lloyd-Pack’s tenure of the long-running character of Trigger was surpassed in number of episodes appeared in by only Sir David Jason (Del Boy) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney).
In remembering their time together on OFAH, Sir David Jason commented: “Although he played the simple soul of Trigger in Only Fools And Horses, he was a very intelligent man and a very fine actor capable of many roles. I shall remember him with fondness and for all the good times we had together.” Nicholas Lyndhurst also commented: “I’m so saddened to hear about Roger. He was the most accomplished actor and loved by millions, I will miss him greatly.”
Though he will forever be known for his role as Trigger, Lloyd-Pack’s first television appearance was in an episode of The Avengers in 1965. His acting career wasn’t limited to the small screen with frequent appearances at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and also appearing in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and, more recently, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
On a personal note, we had the great good fortune to be able to interview Roger for our PBS production of Behind the Britcom: From Script to Screen back in 2010. I will forever remember his welcoming us into his home in Kentish Town in North London and actually being most worried that we had not been able to eat breakfast while we took over his home and set up as opposed to wanting to know more about the interview. His house was filled wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling with art and memorabilia from a lifetime of acting…and living. He was also quite interested and amused at the possibility of a The Vicar of Dibley return as The Bishop of Dibley as was referenced in the local newspaper the morning we were there. Finally, all of us remember his words of encouragement for keeping public television going. He was a big believer in public media and the importance it played in educating the world. I will forever be grateful for the chance to meet him that day and say thank you.
Roger Lloyd Pack will be terribly missed, but never forgotten for giving millions a lifetime of laughter. In this clip from our 2010 interview, Roger talks about what it meant to him, personally, to be a part of something that has made the world laugh.
