ROY HUDD : COMEDIAN ACTOR AND VARIETY HISTORIAN DIES AGED 83

AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS, Roy passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon, Sunday 15th March. It's very sad news. At 83, Roy had a career that gave us a great comedian, excellent straight actor.. and proved himself to be our most knowledgeable and authoritative variety and comedy historian too. Hudd was a treasure, for so long. Back in 1968, he appeared in his first feature film with #PeterCushing .. 'The Blood Beast Terror'. Not the best of films, but an extremely enjoyable experience for Roy, who he said, 'savoured every minute working with Peter!' Roy had a very productive and long career in both radio and theatre.. both will now be a sad place without him . . #RoyHudd 16 May 1936 - 15 March 2020.

ROY HUDD, hosted BBC Radio 2 sketch show The News Huddlines from 1975 until 2001 and also starred in Broadchurch and as Archie Shuttleworth in Coronation Street. His TV career began in 1964 with satirical series That Was The Week That Was after a stint as a Butlin’s Redcoat in Clacton alongside Sir Cliff Richard. He went on to perform in variety shows in London and became a huge fan of music hall, later writing books on the subject.Born in Croydon in 1936, he worked in telephone exchanges for the RAF. 

ABOVE: During our 20th Anniversary of Peter Cushing's passing, we shared ROY HUDD's memory of working with Peter on the film 'The Blood Beast Terror' READ IT HERE! 

HIS INTEREST in entertaining was sparked when he went to live with his grandmother who regularly took him to Croydon’s Empire Theatre. Hudd made his professional debut as a comedian in 1957 at the Streatham Hill Theatre, where he was billed as The Peculiar Person. Across a varied career, he appeared in Call The Midwife, Midsomer Murders and Holby City, as well as Dennis Potter’s Lipstick On Your Collar, and Karaoke. Other projects include acclaimed comedy-drama Common As Muck and David Jason’s The Quest.

HUDD'S passion for music hall meant that alongside writing books, he also re-recorded and restored old music hall records, and appeared in a revival show called The Good Old Days. He was the longstanding president of the British Music Hall Society, and chose the genre as his specialist subject when he appeared on Celebrity Mastermind in 2014.

HUDD WAS awarded an OBE for services to entertainment in the 2004 New Year Honours List. Three years ago, Roy provided the narration to Donald Fearney's mammoth dvd documentary on Amicus films, 'Amicus : The Vault of Horror's'. 

#ONSETSATURDAY: PERTWEE PITT AND GIFS

  

#ONSETSATURDAY: AT THE TOP:  Pertwee and Pitt camp it up with glee on the set of 'The Curse of the Bloodsuckers', the 'film within a film' within the story of 'The Cloak'... one of the four stories in the Amicus portmanteau film, The House that Dripped Blood' (1971) ...which also starred Peter Cushing in a tale called, 'Waxworks'!  TRIVIA: Among the photographs in the frame of Paul Henderson's mirror in his dressing room, is one of Jon Pertwee driving "Bessie," the car he drove as the Doctor in the BBC television series,Doctor Who. When Pertwee made THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD in 1971, he was still playing the Doctor. Interesting too, that VINCENT PRICE was first offered the part of Paul Henderson.

#ONSETSATURDAY : Director Freddie Francis during the shooting of the 'Wish You were Here' story from 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT' (1972)... actors on set are Roy Dotrice and Barbara Murray. 'Tales of course is the film in which Peter Cushing played Arthur Grimsdyke, in the story, 'Poetic Justice' TRIVIA: Peter Cushing was originally intended to play Ralph Jason, but after looking at the script he persuaded the producers that he would do more justice to the role of Mr. Grimsdyke. Robin Phillips who played Grimsdyke's nasty neighbor, was only cast as James because original choice Ralph Bates was not free.  

EVERY SUNDAY HERE AT THE WEBSITE AND OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: THE BEST OF PETER CUSHING : A TERRIFYING CLASSIC SCENE : ANALYSIS, GIFS AND CLIPS

#ONSETSATURDAY Director Alan Gibson blocks out the action for the scene during the making of Dracula AD 1972 TRIVIA: Gibson was not the first choice of director for the film, Paul Annett, who later went on to direct Peter Cushing in Amicus films, THE BEAST MUST DIE was first offered the chance to direct this project. The character of Jessica Van Helsing has been played in each respective Hammer Dracula by an actress who'd portray a character romantically linked to Ken Barlow in the UK soap opera Coronation Street - Stephanie Beacham, in 2009, and Joanna Lumley, in 1973!  

 

 

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