The Goodies star Tim Brooke-Taylor dead from coronavirus
Stars from around the world have paid tribute to a member of comedy trio The Goodies who died on the weekend from coronavirus.
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British performer Tim Brooke-Taylor, a member of comedy trio The Goodies, has died after contracting coronavirus. He was 79.
Brooke-Taylor’s agent says he died on Sunday morning “from COVID-19”.
Brooke-Taylor was part of Cambridge University’s Footlights revue, the breeding ground of several generations of British comic talent.
He broke into radio and television comedy in the 1960s alongside future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman.
Brooke-Taylor went on to form The Goodies with Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. The trio specialised in slightly surreal sketches incorporating visual inventiveness, slapstick and songs.
Their song Funky Gibbon even became a UK top 10 chart hit in 1975.
Their TV show, which ran throughout the 1970s, was a hit in Britain, Australia and New Zealand and developed a cult following in many other countries.
The Goodies formed part of a golden era of British television comedy in the 1960s and ’70s that included Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Not the Nine O’Clock News.
For more than 40 years, Brooke-Taylor was also a panellist on BBC radio’s much loved comic quiz show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.
Goodies co-star Garden said Brooke-Taylor was “a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with. Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable”.
“His loss at this dreadful time is particularly hard to bear,” Garden said.
Other stars have paid tribute:
Tim was a huge part of my early comedy life. We performed together in The West End, on Broadway, and in over 100 "I'm Sorry I'll Read that Again"s. And then two series of "At Last, It's The 1948 Show"
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) April 12, 2020
He was a great performer and companion.
I have just lost the will to be silly
I was obsessed with ‘The Goodies’ as a child, the first comedy show I really loved. I queued up to get the Goodies’ autographs as a grown-up, and got to meet Tim Brooke-Taylor more recently at a party. I was in total awe, but he was so kind & generous. It is so sad he is gone. pic.twitter.com/wxyGpJoyIU
— David Walliams (@davidwalliams) April 12, 2020
Just heard the devastating news of the death of Tim Brooke-Taylor. A hero for as long as I can remember, and –on a few golden occasions – a colleague and collaborator on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. Gentle, kind, funny, wise, warm, but piercingly witty when he chose to be. So sad
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) April 12, 2020
I’m so so sad that a big comedy hero from my childhood, Tim Brooke-Taylor, has passed. Loved his energy & go for broke, try anything silliness. He made it seem like making people laugh was the best job in the world. Please allow me to repost this thread in tribute to his lunacy. https://t.co/TzZYx742tq
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 12, 2020
When I was young, The Goodies were my gateway drug to silly, absurdist comedy. RIP Tim Brooke-Taylor pic.twitter.com/RKsNKnE928
— Stephen Merchant (@StephenMerchant) April 12, 2020
So sorry to hear that Tim Brooke Taylor has passed away. He was such a lovely funny man. I watched him as a kid and it was always a thrill to work with him.
— Ross Noble (@realrossnoble) April 12, 2020
In loving memory of our dear friend Tim Brooke-Taylor... #MontyPython #fouryorkshiremen pic.twitter.com/jTLTXLcgc1
— Monty Python (@montypython) April 12, 2020
Tim Brooke-Taylor from The Goodies, I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again and so much more of my early comedy inspiration taken from us too soon. What a sad and tragic loss. pic.twitter.com/dsq3lP6rEI
— Rove McManus (@Rove) April 13, 2020
Brooke-Taylor is survived by his wife, Christine, and two sons.
Originally published as The Goodies star Tim Brooke-Taylor dead from coronavirus