Goodbye, Geoffrey
Stars pay tribute to producer Perkins
Comedy stars including Catherine Tate, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, and Ardal O'Hanlon have performed at a memorial service paying tribute to much-loved producer Geoffrey Perkins.Several sketches were specially written for the celebration of Perkins’ impressive life and career, which took place at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End on Friday.
Angus Deayton also made several appearances, including a reprise of Radio Active, the show in which Perkins starred early in his career.
But Perkins, who died in a road accident last August at the age of 55, made his name in production, where his string of hits included Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Father Ted, The Fast Show, Big Train, Coupling and Benidorm
O'Hanlon reprised his role as Dougal from Father Ted, with Tate filling in as Mrs Doyle, and in a moving moment, Perkins’ daughter Charlotte sang the show’s haunting theme tune.
Among the many tributes paid to Perkins, Deayton said: ‘He was irrepressible company and invariably the funniest person around the dinner table. He leaves a hole that will never be filled’.
Former BBC comedy executive Jon Plowman added that Perkins was ‘terrific talent spotter and an even better talent encourager’.
Other guests at the service included Richard Wilson, David Baddiel and Rob Brydon.
Published: 10 Feb 2009
