Such sad, sad news that Roy Barraclough has left us. We’d lost touch in recent years, but Roy became a dear friend back in the days of “Pardon My Genie”, the children’s comedy series we were in together in the 70’s. He was my boss Mr Cobbledick and I was Hal Adden, the sales assistant in Mr Cobbledick’s hardware shop who in episode one had found an old watering can in the store-room, with the original Genie of the Lamp living in it, now reduced to being the Genie of the Watering Can.
Hal became the Genie’ s new master (he was played in series one by the late Hugh Paddick, series two by Arthur White) but because he’d been asleep for several centuries, some of his magic was a bit rusty. Mr Cobbledick didn’t know about the Genie – cue opportunities for Mr Cobbledick to be caught in a range of totally bewildering circumstances, seized upon with glorious
gusto by Roy.
I’ll write a more detailed tribute very soon – this written in a state of shock while I’m in a hotel bedroom on the other side of the world. He wasn’t just a unique, special comedy talent – a superb panto dame in the theatre, always brilliant in TV comedy shows with Les Dawson and others, bringing a wry sparkle to “Coronation St” – but a distinguished serious actor as well: for example I was lucky enough to see him give a powerful, moving account of Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman”.
A unique talent and a dear, kind person – shrewd, sharp, warm, gifted with a rich, gleeful wit. A special light has gone out.
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