John Nettleton

John Nettleton: 

† Feb  5 1929 – July 12 2023

A stalwart interpreter for the viewing public of the blandly powerful faces of the establishment, John Nettleton is probably most associated with the role of Sir Arnold Robinson, the civil service grandee in 'Yes Minister', and he appeared as a Tory MP in the equally satirical (if rather broader) political comedy 'The New Statesman'. 

In 'The Avengers' episode, 'The See-Through Man'

Among his well-remembered roles in television are those in 'The Avengers' ('The See-Through Man', in the Diana Rigg era, and 'The Rotters' with Linda Thorson), and in several other cult adventure properties of the time such as 'The Champions', 'Department S' and later 'The Protectors'. 'Doctor Who' fans may remeber him as the Reverend Ernest Matthews in the 1989 story Ghost Light, while mystery TV obsessives might cite his turns in 'The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes', 'Tales Of The Unexpected', 'Haunted', 'Shadows' and 'Out Of The Unknown. He also graced popular favourites from 'Minder' and 'The Professionals' to 'Rumpole Of The Bailey' and 'The Adventures Of Black Beauty'. And let us not forget the authoritative voiceovers for Valerie Singleton's 'Blue Peter: Special Assignment' historical and factual programmes.

With Celia Imrie in a religious skit on
'Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV' 

In middlebrow TV drama, he brought his patrician demeanour to the screen many times and can be seen as Francis Bacon in 'Elizabeth R', 'The Country Wife' , 'Brideshead Revisited', 'The Flame Trees of Thika', 'The Citadel', 'Martin Luther, Heretic', 'Longitude' and 'Kingdom'. Other smaller comedy turns, which rather pale beside his 'Yes, Minister' years, include 'Please Sir!', 'If It Moves File It', 'Doctor at Large' and 'Brass'. 

Production still from the ABC series 'Haunted' from 1968

Born in 1929, John Nettleton is now into his 90s and, I hope, enjoying a pleasant retirement.
[edit 12/7/23 - John Nettleton has sadly passed on since this salute was first uploaded. Guardian obit is here]
   

John Nettleton-imdb

Nicholas Smith

Nicholas Smith:

† 5 March 1934 – 6 December 2015*

Some actors are so strongly associated with one character that their own name becomes almost irrelevant. Such is the case with Nicholas Smith, or Mr Rumbold, as you almost certainly said when you opened this page. As the ineffectual menswear department manager of Grace Bros, he was the stooge and feed man for the endless innuendo and banter of the cast of 'Are You Being Served?'. The pilot episode was originally rejected by the BBC, but was screened as filler during the 1972 Olympics following the Black September terrorist attack. A series followed and it ran for ten seasons until finally getting the axe in 1985. He also showed up for the dreary spin-off, 'Grace and Favour'. Perhaps he gets the last laugh though, as he is the only regular member of the cast still with us in 2014.

An unlikely bad guy in 'The Avengers'

He's done other stuff, of course. He appears in the early 'Doctor Who' story 'Dalek Invasion of Earth' with William Hartnell, and he had a regular mid-'70s stint in 'Z-Cars' as  PC Yates. He's in a couple of classic 'Avengers' (the Mrs Peel era 'Escape in Time' and the Tara King episode 'The Super Secret Cypher Snatch'), as well as 'The Champions' and 'The Saint' (including the long-forgotten, low-budget 1968 movie spin-off 'The Fiction Makers').

Coming a cropper after failing to assassinate Alexandra Bastedo
in an episode of 'The Champions'  

To that we can add, 'The Frost Report', 'The Freewheelers', 'Ace Of Wands', 'The Sweeney', 'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' and 'Budgie'. Recently he has provided voices for the 'Wallace & Gromit' movies, but earlier on there were a few visible cinema roles, including 'The Twelve Chairs (1970), John Huston's 'A Walk with Love and Death' (1969), and the Sammy Davis Jr/Peter Lawford romp 'Salt & Pepper' (1968), although perhaps after the success of 'Are You Being Served?' it became difficult to cast him against type, ie Rumbold.  

In the Mel Brooks comedy 'The Twelve Chairs' (1970)

'Revolver', an obscure sketch series on BBC Digital only, with
a unique mix of vintage comedy stars and edgy new writers   

*update Dec 7, 2015: Really very sad to mark the passing of Nicholas Smith. He was one of the most fascinatingly underrated of the actors I researched for this blog. 

Nicholas Smith - imdb

Paul Darrow

Paul Darrow: 

† May 2 1941 – Jun 3 2019

Sullen and intense-looking actor whose perma-scowl was a defining feature of the clunky BBC cult space opera, 'Blakes 7' between 1978 and 1981. He played Avon, whose cynical self-interest, dubious loyalties, and kiss/kill relationship with the show's arch-baddie, slinky Federation commander Servalan, drove most of the key storylines.
  

With his old adversary Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) in 'Blakes 7'

Before 'Blakes 7', Darrow had appeared in a few roles in middling popular dramas ranging from 'Emergency Ward 10' and 'Coronation Street' to 'The Saint' and the gripping Nazi-fest 'Manhunt'. A big break was playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1975 BBC series; The Legend of Robin Hood', in which he got to exercise his sinister glare to good effect. He was in 'Doctor Who', before and after 'Blakes 7', and made a convincingly devious Mr Carker in the BBC's 'Dombey & Son' in 1983.

'The Legend of Robin Hood'

Darrow never got much film work. In fact, from imdb it looks as though he only hit the big screen a couple of times, playing doctors in both 'The Raging Moon' (1971) and 'Die Another Day (2002).

Since the '80s, you may have caught his regular appearances in 'Law & Order: UK' or his part as roguish middle-aged biker Eddie Fox in 'Emmerdale', but increasingly he has found a niche in the world of video game voiceovers. I've never heard of any of them and won't list them here, but I hope we see more of Paul Darrow on our TV and cinema screens in future.



In the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery 'Murder Must Advertise'

Telling Malcolm McDowell the bad news in 'The Raging Moon (1971)

Paul Darrow - imdb