Roy Hudd: One of the great performers, writers and comics
The late Roy Hudd OBE was “one of the country’s best-loved entertainers”, Jimmy Cricket says in his latest newspaper column.
Writing in the Lancashire Post, Jimmy recalls that he first saw Roy performing on TV in the 1960s.
And then the two met in the 1980s after which they became long-lasting friends.
Roy, an actor, comedian radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment, died in 2020 at the age of 83 after a short illness.
Coronation Street
His widow Debbie heads up the Roy Hudd Statue Appeal, which is raising funds for a lasting monument to him.
Roy earned praise for his roles in Dennis Potter’s Lipstick on your Collar and Karaoke in the 1990s.
The Croydon-born all-round entertainer appeared in Coronation Street as Archie Shuttleworth on and off between 2002 and 2010.
He also starred in acclaimed crime drama Ashes to Ashes. Other TV credits included Broadchurch, Benidorm and Casualty.
Roy hosted BBC Radio 2’s The News Huddlines for 26 years.
Jimmy posted about the newspaper column on social media.
He said: “Hi folks! Here is my tribute to one of the great performers/writers/comics of our generation, who is sadly missed by everyone who had the great pleasure of knowing him.
“Here is a link if you would like to donate and help with Roy and @DebHudd statue appeal theroyhuddstatueappeal.co.uk/donations.”
In his column, Jimmy says: “Roy and I shared so much in common.
“We’d both been Butlin’s Redcoats and we both loved twice-nightly variety, which we were both lucky to see as kids.”
Lyndene return
Jimmy begins his EIGHTH season at the popular Lyndene Hotel in Blackpool on Wednesday (5 July).
Autobiography
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