I was just going to post a similar thing...both Geoffrey Bayldon who brilliantly played Catweazle and Moray Watson who played Lord Collingford in Series 2 died this week . For the youngsters who haven't seen it...Catweazle is an English wizard pushed by the Norman invaders after 1066 , he jumps into a lake to escape and emerges in 1969 , it's great stuff . For me Series 1 is the best piece of kids tv I've ever seen , and was widely exported , the fanclub has members from all over the globe . Series 2 was messed about by a new TV executive who wanted to crack the US market but the changes were not for the better. A series 3 was written returning to its original location and cast but was never made ( although perhaps like Fawlty Towers short and sweet was best ) Sadly the actors who played two of the central characters died fairly young , Robin Davies ( Carrot ) and Neil McCarthy ( Sam )...but Geoffrey Bayldon , Moray Watson and Bud Tingwell ( who was in Neighbours for many years ) lived to ripe old ages . It's strange that a kids tv show from almost 50 years ago can have such an effect , but I feel as though another link to my childhood has gone . A nice tribute was posted on the Catweazle fan club page . The Magic has dimmed but will never go out! Nay, Catweazle isn’t dead he has just passed through our time. Goodbye Geoffrey, you made a lot of people very happy with your portrayal of Catweazle, your legacy will live on. RIP
I didnt realise Geoffrey was born in Leeds to be honest. Catweazle was slightly before my time as a kid, but I do sort of remember him on Worzel Gummidge. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001933/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Have a look at the link Shed, it shows what he'd done in his acting career, and he was 93 and a third actually. I was chatting about this on FM yesterday though and some other fans brought up the Catweazle wrestler, who I saw as a kid when at Butlins in the 70s. Ive no idea how old he is or if hes still alive.
Gary Cooper the Wrestler a.k.a Catweazle was born in Hexthorpe Doncaster. He sadly died of Cancer in 1993. On Wednesday 10th another one of my favourites who died in New York in 1979 would have celebrated his 60th birthday. Who can ever forget John Simon Ritchie's ( aka Sid Vicious) rendition of the Sinatra classic "My Way."? I held out hope he would team up with another of my favourites Frank Ifield and record a duet " I remember you, you bast*rd ", but sadly that never happened. When he died Britain was in the midst of its most serious widespread industrial dispute " the Winter of Discontent" and I remember Bernard Manning reflecting on the fact that Sid couldn't be buried in the UK because sadly " the dustbinmen were on strike". Not everybody's cup of teas but anybody remember any more of Manning's " classics".?
To be honest Donny I didnt know anything about the man behind the character of 'Catweazle'. Im sorry to hear that hes also passed and is no longer with us.
He was 53 when he died. He wrestled at the time when the TV character Catweazle was popular. He stood 6' 4" and had a beard and adopted the name when a fan shouted it out during a bout. He used to have a toad in his corner called Touchwood and as I recall he used to lick it before the contest started. I believe he wrestled Mick McManus in his last scrap. There were some great characters about at that time e.g Jackie Pallo, Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Johnny Kwango, McManus, Pat Roache ( appeared in Auf wiedersehen Pet) etc and Gary ( Catweazle) was right up there with them.
Its a shame to hear that Donny. But yes of course I remember all of those stars you've mentioned from the 80's etc. And yes I remember 'Bomber' from Aufwiedersehn pet has since passed (Pat Roach).
