Biographies

Television Heaven pays tribute to one of Britain's most prolific character actors who starred in three of the country’s best loved sitcoms

When Sydney Newman came to England from his native Canada in 1958, no one could have predicted that he would become one of the most influential programme makers of the 1960's

'One of the best and most subtle scene stealers in the business. She could fascinate just by making the most fleeting adjustment to her spectacles or the most furtive sideways glance.'

We remember the prolific actor who never quite achieved the status of a Hollywood A-lister. Warren Oates, despite rarely occupying the centre stage, left a lasting impact on American cinema

There are very few stars from television’s golden age who instantly put a smile on your face. As talented as the likes of Bob Monkhouse and Bruce Forsyth were, one person probably eclipsed them...

We remember the prolific stage and screen actor who became a household name in the UK in the 1980s when he appeared as the boozy Jack Rolfe in Howards' Way, the series dubbed by the British press as the 'boating and bonking' serial

Geoffrey Palmer perfected the art of keeping a sullen look and yet maximising laughter in gentle comedies like Butterflies and As Time Goes By, in the chaos of Fawlty Towers or in joining a new breed of comedians in a cameo on Blackadder Goes Forth

By the late 1940s Val Parnell had established himself as one of Britain's foremost theatre managers and impresarios. Through his association with Lew Grade he was also instrumental in the popularisation of television following the launch of ITV in 1955.

In a remarkably long career, Nicholas Parsons was also one half of a hugely successful comedy double act, held down an extended run in West End theatre, and was a successful host on both radio and television.

To the world, he was the Calypso Crusader, the lyrical lark who sang news headlines with the zest of a rum-soaked parrot, his eyes twinkling like disco balls, reflecting the neon glow of the That Was The Week That Was sign. Let's look back on the career of Lance Percival