God bless Hooky Street

RIP John Sullivan, creator of some of the best-loved TV sitcoms in British TV history.

Such as these...

Citizen Smith

Dear John

Just Good Friends

Only Fools and Horses

Read the article in The Independent

"Don’t say that, Foxy..."

Sad news tonight that the wonderful character actress Hida Braid is dead.

Such a constantly sweet person on screen, Hilda's rise to sort-of-fame was as the girlfriend's dotty mum in Citizen Smith in the 1970s, a part for which I and many others will remember her with love. She was most recently famous for her part as "Nana Moon" in Eastenders, which obviously will resonate more deeply in the tabloids, but the lady was far more worthy of respect than that.

A former Shakespearean and repertory actress, Hilda was a resident of Brighton and a stalwart supporter of her many gay friends. A lifelong friend of June Brown (otherwise known as Dot Cotton) she was there at Phil Starr's funeral to hear June speak and said of the great drag queen, "Phil was a consummate professional, I honestly believe the best at his craft in the business. Seeing Phil was always the highlight."

Of the lady herself, a close friend said: "She was an amazing woman. She was a diva in every sense of the word and was highly-respected in the profession. She will be sorely missed."

RIP, Miss Braid - we will indeed miss you.

BBC article