Paul Eddington

[Number Six]

I can't find a thread dedicated to Paul Eddington, so I would like to start one!



Paul was an excellent actor who cropped up in all manner of programmes - early in his career he actually played forty-one different characters in the SAME series - The Adventures of Robin Hood - before finally landing a full-time role as Will Scarlett opposite Richard Greene's Robin.He made appearances in the early Z Cars, Dangerman and The Avengers and played Cobb in 'Arrival', the first episode of The Prisoner. This was followed by roles in The Champions, Spy Trap, Man At The Top, Van Der Valk, Special Branch and Get Some In before landing the part of Jerry Leadbeatter, The Good's long suffering friend and neighbour in The Good Life. He appeared in all 30 episodes of the classic comedy and went on to even more acclaim with the role of inept MP Jim Hacker, firstly in Yes, Minister and subsequently Yes, Prime Minister. The debonair actor was awarded the CBE for his services to drama in 1987 and tragically suffered with skin cancer and diabetes later in his life. He bore his illness with great dignity and much bravery, finally succumbing, aged just 68, in 1995. He left a wife and four children. His gentle, unassuming nature was borne out in his final interview when he said of his possible epitaph, 'He did very little harm'. And that's not easy - most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me."



Here's Paul in his early role of Will Scarlett,





and as 'Klein' having a spot of bother with Craig and Sharron in The Champions,





as Jerry Leadbeatter in the classic The Good Life





and finally as inept MP Jim Hacker with Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fouwlds in Yes, Prime Minister

[didi-5]

I always admired Paul Eddington as an actor; very natural on the screen with a real gift for comedy and the double take as he proved in his most famous roles in The Good Life and Yes Minister. Until recently I had no idea his career went as far back as Richard Greene's Robin Hood - 41 characters?!



His last screen appearance IIRC was in Henry IV, part of the Performance theatre series for the BBC in 1995. He was clearly disfigured by skin cancer then and I remembering thinking he was very brave to appear before the cameras like that - he also did an interview round the same time, for Face to Face I think?

[CaptainWaggett]

He talks about Robin Hood in his autobiography, saying it was a mistake to get a regular role because all he got to do was say 'But Robin, there's just one thing I don't understand' but before he used to get a juicy guest role every other week.

[Number Six]

He talks about Robin Hood in his autobiography, saying it was a mistake to get a regular role because all he got to do was say 'But Robin, there's just one thing I don't understand' but before he used to get a juicy guest role every other week.

Quite right Captain W - it must be some sort of record though, 41 different roles in 41 episodes! Quite amazing.

[Moor Larkin]

41 different roles in 41 episodes! Quite amazing.

Routine Repertory actor stuff. He and Patrick McGoohan both met and married their wives whilst in repertory in Sheffield. The two women were apparently good friends at the time, so Mr. Eddington says in his pleasant-reading autobiography......



http://www.amazon.com/So-Far-Good-Pa.../dp/0340654015

[Number Six]

Routine Repertory actor stuff....



http://www.amazon.com/So-Far-Good-Pa.../dp/0340654015

Yes, I agree ML, but highly unusual for television I would have thought. I can't imagine any other actor has played that many different roles in the same series and still ended up with a major role in it too!!

[CaptainWaggett]

Yes, I agree ML, but highly unusual for television I would have thought. I can't imagine any other actor has played that many different roles in the same series and still ended up with a major role in it too!!

Indeed, I can't think of anyone in British television who managed this. Closest might be Derren Nesbitt who was in 14 (out of 30) episodes of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (as different characters) and who presumably would have played a similar number of roles in a second season had there been one. It must have been something of a surprise to the original audience that he didn't get a duel with William Russell in the Doctor Who story Marco Polo!. He was in 8 episodes of William Tell too.

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Mini-bio in 3 parts.

[Number Six]

Mini-bio in 3 parts.

Excellent Hugh - he really was a class act wasn't he. (Nice new avatar by the way!! )

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Excellent Hugh - he really was a class act wasn't he. (Nice new avatar by the way!! )

Quality, through and through, 6, both as actor and a man. definitely an actor who could up the game of others.

[smudge]

Quality, through and through, 6, both as actor and a man. definitely an actor who could up the game of others.

Have to agree on both counts. When he first went public with his illness I wrote him a brief letter with my good wishes and he (unexpectedly) sent back the most charming note of thanks.



A true gent!



Smudge



(I always loved that classic moment in THE GOOD LIFE when Margot is out and he quite deliberately wafts his Indian take-away throughout the living-room, before lighting up a forbidden cigar!)

[Number Six]

...(I always loved that classic moment in THE GOOD LIFE when Margot is out and he quite deliberately wafts his Indian take-away throughout the living-room, before lighting up a forbidden cigar!)

Priceless.

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Have to agree on both counts. When he first went public with his illness I wrote him a brief letter with my good wishes and he (unexpectedly) sent back the most charming note of thanks.



A true gent!



Smudge



(I always loved that classic moment in THE GOOD LIFE when Margot is out and he quite deliberately wafts his Indian take-away throughout the living-room, before lighting up a forbidden cigar!)

Good on you, too, smudge, for sending that letter.



The cream on top of that curry evening, was that Jerry also indulge in playing a New Seekers LP.

[Rowdon]

I've been watching a number of Good Life episodes recently - I always look forward to Jerry's double laugh: "A-ha-ha (pause) A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha..." Cracks me up.

[TimR]

What a fine actor, one of the very best, and after looking at several of these shows it is evident he was a very fine man as well - quite moving.

What a pretty charmer Felicity Kendal is in that interview, and their rapport is obvious.

He is a British actor who developed a great popularity here - first in Good Neighbors (our name for The Good Life) and then all those years in Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, which were on for years here. It still appears sometimes.

[wadsy]

I remember Paul Eddington being interviewed when he was ill & the interviewer asked him how he would like to be remembered.

He replied that he would like it said that "He never harmed anybody" & that "some people are capable of great harm"! He was such a nice man!!

I forget who the interviewer was.

[Tonch]

I remember Paul Eddington being interviewed when he was ill & the interviewer asked him how he would like to be remembered.

He replied that he would like it said that "He never harmed anybody" & that "some people are capable of great harm"! He was such a nice man!!

I forget who the interviewer was.

I remember that interview very clearly wadsy, it was "Face To Face" and the interviewer was Jeremy Isaacs.

Paul's words have stayed with me ever since. He recalled being asked by a journalist what he would like his epitaph to be and he said "I would like it to be: 'He did very little harm.' And that's not easy. Most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm, if I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me."

It would suit me aswell, it's very profound when you think about it. A remarkable man and, of course, a wonderful actor, greatly missed.

[didi-5]

Yes, I mentioned that interview in post #2. I have never forgotten his courage in appearing not only when clearly not in the best of health but also with those disfiguring marks from his skin cancer. For an actor to appear with their face blighted in such a way - however, his dignity and acceptance of his condition transcended any shock a viewer had when seeing him that way. I deeply admired him for it and still do.

[billy farmer]

A TV Times listing from April 29th 1967.



A picture of Paul Eddington and Rachel Gurney as Steve and Maggie Leeds in the
Armchair Thriller episode England My England, from page 6 of the same issue of
TV Times as the above listing (April 29th - May 5th 1967)



Some interesting information about the
Armchair Thriller episode England My
England, from the same page of TV
Times as the above picture

[billy farmer]

A screencap of Paul Eddington as Jerry Leadbetter in the episode Plough Your Own Furrow (1975) from the classic Comedy series The Good Life.