Anthony Hayward

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Anthony Hayward

Damien Thomas, who has died aged 83 after suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, was an actor best remembered for taking the leading role of a wicked count turned into a vampire in Twins of Evil, a 1971 film combining gothic horror, black magic rituals and two Playboy playmates in the title parts.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Anthony Hayward

As Dennis Tanner in the original cast of Coronation Street, the actor Philip Lowrie, who has died aged 88, portrayed a character newly released from borstal and seeking to make something of his life – while living in the shadow of his past. “In those streets, there is always a bad ’un, a wrong ’un – and he was the wrong ’un,” said the TV soap’s creator, Tony Warren, of Dennis.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Anthony Hayward

Andy Peebles, who has died suddenly aged 76, was for 14 years a disc jockey on BBC Radio 1, where he presented shows across the schedule, switching between mornings, afternoons and evenings. In 1981, three years after joining Radio 1, he settled into a Friday evening spot with a programme combining music and a preview of the weekend’s sporting action. “I never dreamed that I’d get to talk to all those incredible people,” he said in a 2017 Radio Today podcast to mark the station’s 50th anniversary.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Anthony Hayward

Kathryn Apanowicz, who has died aged 64, was a child performer who grew up to find her best roles as an actor in three TV soaps. From playing a bullying nurse at a London hospital in Angels, she created further drama in EastEnders as one of “Dirty” Den Watts’s lovers, then moved back to her native Yorkshire to take the part of a newspaper reporter in Emmerdale. Her talent was discovered by Jess Yates, producer of the ITV children’s show Junior Showtime.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Anthony Hayward

Bill Dare, who has died aged 64 as a passenger in a road accident, was an influential force in TV and radio satire for almost 40 years. He was the puppet master – literally – producing eight series of Spitting Image for ITV in the 1990s, then figuratively in creating Dead Ringers for BBC radio. “We know how far we can go – as long as we are only upsetting some of the people some of the time,” Dare said during his time on Spitting Image (1990-94).