Comedy career included Brass, After Henry and Not Going Out

Timothy West  has died at the age of 90 after a long career spanning great classic dramas to countless comedy roles.

 A statement released by his children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph on social media said: ‘After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old. 

‘Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. 

‘All of us will miss him terribly. We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George's Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days’.

Among those paying tribute today were Steve Pemberton, who replied to the family’s message by saying: ‘This is so sad, thinking of you and your family. What an incredible life he led and so much joy brought to so many people. It was an honour to spend a little time working with him.’

West was in the cast of the very first Inside No 9, Sardines, which aired in 2014.

In recent years, West and Scales – who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a decade ago – were known for their series of Great Canal Journeys, which has run for ten seasons on Channel 4.

West was born in 1934 in Bradford and began his career in show businesses as an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre, before moving into rep and becoming a member of the  Royal Shakespeare Company  in the 1960s.

His big break came with the major ITV series Edward the Seventh in 1975. Other dramatic screen appearances have included  The Day of the Jackal, The Thirty Nine Steps  and Cry Freedom.

In comedy, one of his most defining roles was as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in Granada TV's satirical period soap opera Brass, which mocked ‘trouble at t’mill’ northern stereotypes over three seasons from 1982 to 1990.

In 1989, he and Scales starred in the ITV sitcom After Henry and in 2007, he joined Lee Mack’s sitcom Not Going Out as Geoffrey Adams for three episodes, handing the role over to Geoffrey Whitehead in later seasons.  

He also appeared in A Very Peculiar Practice, Toast Of London (as pictured above), and played Private Godfrey – the part originally played by Arnold Ridley –  in the UKTV recreations of lost episodes of Dad's Army in 2019, below.

In 1984, West was appointed CBE for his services to drama.

His biographer James Hogg wrote on X: In Timothy West we have lost not only a brilliant actor but a gorgeous human being. To have been involved in his final major project (his book, Pru & Me) was obviously a privilege, but to have been his friend was something very special indeed.

'We spent a year working together, a wonderful year, and Tim’s two primary concerns throughout were whether or not I was happy with what we were producing and whether I was comfortable in my room at his and Pru’s home, which I always was. Every evening after supper I’d go onto YouTube, find a TV play or episode of something that either Tim or Pru had appeared in but had never seen telivised, wire my laptop up to their TV and then watch them watch it. What a thrill that was!

'Then, once that was over, I’d ask Tim if we could watch an episode of Brass, which is my favourite Tim show. He’d protest sometimes only for a second, before saying, usually, "Why not. It isn’t bad, is it. I’ll tell you what, shall have another glass?" We usually did. Then, in the morning, he’d spend ten minutes interrogating me about how comfortable I was in my room and then we’d start work in his study.

'My only regret is that we didn’t sign up for a trilogy, but even when we’d finished the book I continued visiting at least once a month. Back to my room on the top floor and back to my friend, Tim. I really will miss him x'

Robin Ince posted on BlueSky today: ‘Timothy West seemed like the loveliest of humans - a great actor and someone who brought so much joy later in life traversing canals with Prunella Scales (and so much love there too)’ 

And Gimme Gimme Gimmee actor James Dreyfuss said: 'Marvellous actor. A constant in many of our lives. He shall be much missed. My thoughts with his family.'

Here's West proving excellent entertaiment on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2015:

Published: 13 Nov 2024