Remembering the Greats

The past six months or so has brought lots of sad news for fans of classic British comedy. I've found myself writing tributes to far too many great comedy actors who we have all watched on our screens, seen on stage or listened to on the radio for decades. 

Writing blog posts about the recently departed isn't something I ever relish and although I only do this as a hobby and a love of writing, I do take this side of it seriously. Some of these actors still have a media profile when they leave us, others have long since retired and left the public eye. No matter what their status, they deserve a great deal of respect when they depart. The past year has seen many familiar faces leave us, from the likes of Bill Maynard and Liz Fraser, to Fenella Fielding, June Whitfield and most recently, the brilliant Windsor Davies.

Although it's very sad, these actors do share one common trait - they all lived long lives. The fact they passed on in their eighties or nineties doesn't make it any easier for those closest to them, but they've all lived full, successful lives and brought pleasure and joy to so many. It gives us all a chance to reflect on their wonderful careers and all those performances they've left us to cherish for years to come.

I was struck once again just the other day by the surge of affection for these legends of comedy. Windsor Davies was an actor who made his name in the 1960s and was in his prime in the 70s and 80s, thirty or forty years ago. Despite retiring from the spotlight fifteen years ago and rarely giving interviews since, the outpouring of affection and sadness was really quite something. Hundreds of people shared memories of the great man on Twitter and many of you took the time to read my blog tribute - and a big thank you from me for doing that.

In these difficult times, with people at each other's throats over all sorts of nonsense, it's heart warming to see people from all over the place take the time to remember an actor like Windsor. So Carry On, you know it makes sense! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram