Paul Angelis

Paul Angelis:

† Jan 18 1943 – Mar 19 2009

This imposing Liverpudlian actor - the older brother of Michael Angelis of 'Liver Birds' fame -  hit our screens a number of times in the '70s and '80s, but had been quietly making his substantial presence known for some time before that. He voiced both Ringo and George, and the Chief Blue Meanie, in the animated Beatles romp 'Yellow Submarine' (1968), for example, and took the randy Scouse git role for the painful but fascinating 'Alf Garnett Saga' (1972) - a grim, barely satirical, document of the sexism and racism of the times. He also appears briefly in the quirky 'Otley' (1968) with Tom Courtenay.     

Playing a comedy heavy with some subtlety and oddly sympathetic menace in
'George & Mildred', while Truffles the Yorkshire terrier piddles on his boots.  

His first regular TV role was as PC Bannerman in the popular cop drama 'Z-Cars', but he swiftly racked up an impressive roll-call of appearances in '70s favourites such as 'Callan', 'Softly Softly', 'The Onedin Line', 'Man About The House', 'Porridge' and 'The Sweeney'. He also appears in some of the more adventurous drama of the period, such as 'Armchair Thriller' and the 'Thirty-Minute Theatre' play 'Under The Age' as Susie, pushing the envelope as a transexual bartender in an edgy piece of TV theatre.   

As Susie in 'Under The Age', a 1972 'Thirty-Minute Theatre'

As TV lost that edge in the '80s, Angelis found roles in the likes of 'Bergerac', 'Boon', 'Tucker's Luck', 'The Gentle Touch' and 'Juliet Bravo', as well as soap opera duties into the '90s with 'Coronation Street', 'EastEnders' and 'Brookside'. While later film work included the Helen Mirren vehicle 'Hussy' (1980) and playing a Bond baddie in 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981).  

With Warren Mitchell in 'The Alf Garnett Saga' (1972) 

In the 1978 'Armchair Thriller' presentation, 'A Dog's Ransom'

The familiar round of latterday TV includes the usual suspects, 'The Bill', 'Casualty' etc, before tapering off in the early 2000s. It seems that he has also written plays and possibly a novel, although I haven't been able to track one down. Still, good stuff all round.  

Paul Angelis-imdb 

Lance Percival

Lance Percival: 

† 26 July 1933 – 6 January 2015

The unmistakable, agile and angular features of John Lancelot Blades Percival - that long crooked nose and the teeth seemingly trying to escape from under his jutting upper lip - combined with his quickfire delivery and timing to make him a comedy star of the '60s. He featured in a string of middling movies as a sure pair of hands for dimwit and klutz roles. He's in 'Carry On Cruising' (1962) of course, as the bilious ship's cook (Charles Hawtrey pulled out with only a few days until filming), and there was a solid run of jokey parts through the early part of  the decade. 

'The Big Job' (1965)

The lucky break with the 'Carry On…' team probably helped his profile, but possibly not as much as his regular appearances on television's 'That Was The Week That Was', where he was a natural fit for the satirical skits and he became a household name for his topical calypso numbers. One of these, 'Shame and Scandal in the Family', was a Top 40 hit in 1965. As the decade wore on, his combination of wacky charm and anti-establishment credentials saw him in demand for pop-music tie-ins, like voice-over work on the Beatles animated adventures (he was Paul and Ringo) which led to him voicing Old Fred in 'Yellow Submarine' (1968). Less memorably, he also featured in Herman's Hermits 'Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter' the same year. 


An interesting aside is the Italian thriller 'The Weekend Murders' (1970) which saw him in a leading role, albeit stylised and semi-comic. Shame and scandal was to follow however, when the Kent-born actor was involved in a road accident on the A20 in which his Jaguar XJ6 was alleged to be racing with another similar car. An unfortunate Rainham man was killed in the resulting smash.        

'The Weekend Murders' (1970)

Whether or not the accident had anything to do with it, work post '70 was a bit less fun. There were movie roles in 'Up Pompeii' (1971) and its follow-ups, and similar British smutty comedies of the period: 'Our Miss Fred' (1972), leading to 'Confessions from a Holiday Camp' (1977) and 'Rosie Dixon: Night Nurse' (1978). All rather poor. 

With Danny LaRue in 'Our Miss Fred' (1972)

TV work kept coming, though rather intermittently by the '80s, and these days he makes a living on the after-dinner speaking circuit.  

Update 9/1/15: Sorry to hear that Lance Percival died on January 6 after a long illness.   

Lance Percival - imdb

John Clive

John Clive:

†6 January 1933 – 14 October 2012

A very distinctively impish actor who has been a staple of British comedy for many years, resulting in a fantastic CV containing credits for 'Smashing Time', 'Clockwork Orange', 'Carry On Dick', 'The Italian Job' and the voice of John Lennon in 'Yellow Submarine'. On the box, he has two memorable appearances in 'Rising Damp' on top of the obligatory gigs on 'The Sweeney', 'The Saint', 'Man In A Suitcase' and lots of kids' shows. He is also a successful writer of historical fiction.

John Clive -imdb profile