From In Loving Memory and Last of the Summer Wine

Christopher Beeny, who starred in the sitcoms In Loving Memory and  Last of the Summer Wine has died at the age of 78.

The actor appeared in the first British television soap opera, the BBC's The Grove Family, from 1954 until 1957, before finding wider fame in the 1970s as  footman Edward Barnes in the hit period drama Upstairs, Downstairs .

He appeared as Geoffrey, the neighbour and friend of single mother Elizabeth Jones – as played by Paula Wilcox – in the 1977/78 sitcom Miss Jones And Son before landing the second lead alongside Thora Hird in the funeral director sitcom In Loving Memory, which ran on ITV for five series between 1979 and 1986.

Beeny played Billy, the gormless nephew of  Hird’s character Ivy who was forced to take over an undertaker’s business after the death of her husband.

He later played the incompetent debt collector and golfer Morton Beamish in Last of the Summer Wine, starting as a guest role in  2001 and becoming a series regular in 2009.

His son Rick today revealed that the star died at his home in Kent last week.

I have some sad news to impart. On friday 3rd of January my old dad Christopher Beeny died at his home in Kent. He was 78. Comforted to know he was not alone at the end and was in his armchair. pic.twitter.com/e4GsvYtPVp

— Rick Blackman (@rickblackman01) January 7, 2020

Published: 8 Jan 2020