Post-'Murrain' David returned to comedy with
the role of Mr Mackenzie in the very first Fawlty
Towers episode 'A Touch of Class'
(19th September 1975). During October 1975 he appeared in some
sketches for The Dick Emery Show and
would pop up in more sketches with the comedian the following year during the
autumn of 1976.
For the Roy Kinnear starring sitcom No Appointment Necessary he appeared as a doctor in the episode 'The French Connexion' (24th June 1977) and he guested as Johnny Baxter in an episode of the Richard Briers / Michael Gambon sitcom The Other One. From 1978 until 1980 David would play the role of Doctor Hugh Evans in the medical soap opera Angels. The character would make irregular appearances during this period. During 1979 he appeared in Sykes ('The Drop-Out' – 5th October 1979), and he was one of the regular cast for the irreverent sketch show End of Part One (1979 – 1980), for which he spoofed the presenter and raconteur Cyril Fletcher[1] as well as other personalities such as Frank Muir and Derek Batey. For the BBC sitcom Rings on Their Fingers made a couple of appearances in the role of next door neighbour David during its second season in 1980.
As the new decade rolled out David drifted away from comedic roles and took on more straightforward drama roles such as the London Weekend Television romantic drama Two People (1979) in the recurring role of Mr Barton. He was a surveyor in the first episode (2nd June 1980) of the children’s drama series The Latchkey Kid and had a small “cough and a spit” role in the British romantic drama film Sweet William (1980) which was headlined by Jenny Agutter and Sam Waterston. Back on television he took the role of Mr Blinkhorn in the role reversal comedy drama Vice Versa (1981), appeared as the sales rep Bobby Simpson in a few episodes of Coronation Street during December 1981 and was the regular character Philip Lassiter in The New Adventures of Lucky Jim (1982).
Whilst these roles tended to be in lighter dramas it was his role of David Farrell in the thirteen part drama series Jury where Simeon demonstrated his ability as a straight actor. Each of the jury members’ background stories are presented in individual episodes with Simeon’s character being the chairman of a chemical company struggling to overcome a severe financial crisis in his firm. The bank has given a deadline for the company to get new custom and orders and it is essential that Farrell is there to oversee the day to day affairs of the company. He asks the judge to release him from jury duty, but the judge refuses.
However, just as had been done with the role of Alan Crich in 'Murrain' this tended to be forgotten by directors and David soon returned to the lighter supporting roles he was more commonly known for; a comedic vicar in the mini-series Winter Sunlight (1984), Trevor in Relative Strangers (1985) and Gilman in the Call Me Mister episode 'Tour De Force' (12th September 1986). The following day David appeared in an episode of Casualty, 'Hide and Seek' (13th September 1986), in the role of Bob Bates.
Next was another run of comedy appearances; a reporter in the Ever Decreasing Circles instalment 'Local Hero' (21st September 1986), George in the forgotten BBC sitcom A Small Problem and Ernest in a couple of episodes of the Richard Wilson / Bernard Cribbins comedy series High and Dry in 1987. A pattern of a guest role in a popular drama series and lighter roles in comedy had begun to develop and this would represent the pattern of work for the actor over the coming years. Straight roles included Franklyn in the Boon episode 'Paper Mafia' (17th November 1987), Fred Peters in Bust (1988), Inspector Carter in the play Cause Celebre (4th May 1989), a priest in The Paradise Club episode 'Unfrocked in Babylon' (19th September 1989) and Mr Plackett in the TV movie The Shell Seekers (3rd December 1989). He also had a cameo as a Clerk of Court in the comedy film A Fish Called Wanda (1988) and a small role in the Minder episode 'Fiddler on the Hoof' (30th January 1989). Comedy material during this period included a guest role in 'A Case of Mistaken Identity' (30th October 1989), an episode of the Jim Davidson sitcom Home James, and a couple of appearances as policemen in two episodes of The New Statesman – 'Passport to Freedom' (20th September 1987) and 'Who Shot Alan B’Stard?' (14th January 1990).
During the 1990s he appeared as Reg Gurney in an episode of Making News ('Three Kinds of Poison' – 12th February 1990), Wilding in a second season episode of the police drama The Chief, a small role as a rambler in the Screen One production 'Trust Me' (25th October 1992), a police sergeant in an episode of London’s Burning and as Roughead in the Birds of a Feather episode 'The Front' (15th November 1992). For the Robert Banks Stewart created series Moon and Son (1992) David played the recurring role of Ken Cave. He also made his first appearance in the police drama The Bill playing DI Graveson in the story 'Out of the Mouths' (2nd March 1993).
David made his second appearance in the series Minder, playing an old friend of Arthur, in the episode 'Another Case of Van Blank' (13th January 1994). His other TV appearances for 1994 included costume drama The House of Eliott and playing Mr Buckley in an episode of the children’s comedy series Woof! The following year he took guest roles in an episode of the comedy series Surgical Spirit and could be seen as an auctioneer in the Keeping Up Appearances episode 'The Country House Sale' (8th October 1995). His biggest role of the year was playing the regular role of Mayor Alex Norton in the George Cole starring comedy drama An Independent Man (June and July 1995). David contented himself with occasional TV roles other the next few years, playing mainly authority figures. He was Detective Inspector Palmer in the Expert Witness story 'The Answer’s in the Soi'l (3rd May 1996), Mr Mackenzie in an episode of The Grand (1997), a coroner’s officer in an episode of Roger Roger (1998), a nightclub owner in the Goodnight Sweetheart episode 'Mairzy Doats' (16th March 1998) and a magistrate in the mini-series Berkeley Square (1998). He made his second appearance in Coronation Street, playing hospital consultant Doctor Gareth Bird, during July 1998.
Into the new century and David took the regular role of Ken Kennedy in two seasons of the drama series Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (1999-2000). Smaller roles included a middle aged gent in the second episode of the saucy period drama Tipping the Velvet (2002), a prison officer in the Casualty instalment 'Lock Down' (24th April 2004), a Defra official in an episode of Down to Earth and playing the role of Dougie in an episode of Eastenders transmitted 13th October 2005. David recalled his role in Tipping the Velvet when I interviewed him. “That was absolutely disgusting! Diana Rigg’s daughter was in it and Diana told me she thought it was one the best scenes in the whole series. My original voice for the character was going to be based on Alistair Sims. I thought that’s the sort of voice this dirty old man would use. Unfortunately the director cut it down quite a bit.[2]”
His second appearance in The Bill was next, following his first appearance over a decade previously. For the storyline '262: Mexican Stand-Off' (18th November 2004) he was cast in the role of Jack Gaunt. His other appearance for the year was in the short comedy film Almost (2004) playing the role of Rick. David’s final onscreen appearances to date are the dark comedy film short Eat Yourself Slim (2005) and episode of the daytime BBC drama series Doctors – Dream Time (24th November 2005). In 2021 he recreated his role as newscaster Alistair Fergus for new linking material for extra features featured on the blu-ray release of the Doctor Who adventure 'The Daemons'.
David will be appearing at the Nigel Kneale Centenary Celebration at Crouch End Cinema on 23rd April, 2022 to introduce a screening of 'Murrain'.
No comments:
Post a Comment