The actor Richard Briers died today of lung disease. He was 79. For millions, he defined a moment in time, an innocence never to be retrieved.
Best known for playing opposite Felicity Kendal as the back-to-basics Goods in the BBC television sitcom, he was cherished by Kenneth Branagh as a Shakespearian actor and played Bertie Wooster in a P G Wodehouse cycle on BBC Radio. He quit smoking ten years ago, calculating he had puffed through half a million cigarettes in his life. His last years were marred by emphysema. Here’s a BBC obituary.
And here’s a slice of British life, AD1985:
Richard Briers will be sadly missed but what a legend!
Thinking of his family.
RIP. You were wonderful.
Really talented man. Managed to get laughs with good, clean humour. Somewhat of a lesson to some comedians today
I remember seeing him alongside Kevin Whateley in a BBC drama called “Dad” which tackled the subject of dementia and elder abuse. It was a great performance which brought a tear to my eye… RIP Richard Briers.