RIP thread for people involved in TV - Mod warning, see OP (21/08/25)

Let's not forget that Jimmy was, for a time, a Channel 4 personality too - thanks to that channel's GAA highlights show on Saturday mornings.

Gutted to hear of William G Stewart's passing. And so soon after Brucie's, too.

I was, and still am, a huge fan of the original Fifteen-to-One. Among its many great moments was Bill McKaig's maximum 433 score in 1999:



There was also this out-take where William dropped his question cards. Incidentally, the contestant at number 7 is future Millionaire winner Ingram Wilcox.



And, of course, he mentioned the Elgin Marbles whenever he could - being a fervent supporter of the campaign to return them to Greece.

In its early years, Fifteen-to-One alternated with Countdown every three months, before Channel 4 quite rightly decided to commission them concurrently from autumn 1996. Not surprisingly, Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman were among the contestants on a celebrity edition of FTO in 1990, while William chaired a game of Countdown between Richard and Carol at Christmas 1997...




Susie hasn't changed a bit, has she?

Turning to the shows William produced, he'd always get the Price is Right studio audience excited by playing "Land of Hope and Glory" at full volume while wearing a pink tracksuit. No, seriously.

And on Family Fortunes, he actually had a role in the Turkey Incident. After the recording finished, the understandably embarrassed Johnson family asked Max Bygraves how much money would be taken not to broadcast the show. Max consulted William, who then had to explain to the family that each episode cost £38,000 to make. They wisely chose not to pursue the matter further...



The word "legend" is overused these days - but I don't think it can be denied that William was one.

He will be greatly missed.

Roy Dotrice the veteran stage actor who did a fair bit of screen work most recently as Pyromancer Hallyne in GoT has died at 94.

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Comedian and Actor Sean Hughes has died at the age of 51 - RIP

I remember him filling in for Damon Hill as a stunt double at the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix.

Trevor ‘Ziggy’ Byfield has died at 73, star of Rocky Horror on the stage and Hair, he did a lot of gangstery type roles on the small screen. He might get a bit tasty with you in his manor esp in the Bill in which he played 14 different roles (two of them were cops but probably dodgy)

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Comedian and Actor Sean Hughes has died at the age of 51 - RIP

That's really sad to hear, hadn't seen him on anything in a good while (and had no idea he apparently had an alcohol issue), grew up in Firhouse too and went to the local school just across the road from where I grew up.

Him, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley would have all been in the same secondary school at the same time (he might have even been in McGinley's year, Harrington is about four years younger). Also the same school Philip Kearns disappeared from on his lunch around the same time as they were there.

I'm shocked he was 89