2015 deaths in British television explained

This is a list of deaths that took place in 2015 related to British television.

January

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
1 January	Fiona Cumming^[1]	77	Actress and director (Doctor Who)
	Barbara Atkinson^[2]	88	Actress
3 January	Roger Kitter^[3]	65	Actor ('Allo 'Allo!)
6 January	Lance Percival^[4]	81	Comedian, actor and singer (That Was the Week That Was, Up Pompeii!)
7 January	Nancy Thomas^[5]	96	Television producer (Monitor)
10 January	Brian Clemens^[6]	83	Scriptwriter and producer (The Avengers, The New Avengers, The Professionals)
19 January	Anne Kirkbride^[7]	60	Actress (Coronation Street) Deirdre Barlow
	Bob Symes^[8]	90	Inventor and television presenter
21 January	Pauline Yates^[9]	85	Actress (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin)
23 January	Barrie Ingham^[10]	82	Actor (The Great Mouse Detective, Doctor Who, A Challenge for Robin Hood)
30 January	Geraldine McEwan^[11]		Actress (Agatha Christie's Marple, Mapp & Lucia)

February

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
4 February	Richard Bonehill^[12]	67	Actor and stuntman (Doctor Who, Return of the Jedi)
14 February	Pamela Cundell^[13]	95	Actress (Dad's Army, EastEnders, A Fantastic Fear of Everything)
	Alan Howard^[14]	77	Actor (The Lord of the Rings)
15 February	Eileen Essell^[15]	92	Actress (Duplex, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Producers)
25 February	Barry Newbery^[16]	88	Production designer (Doctor Who)

March

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
6 March	Osi Rhys Osmond^[17]	71	Painter and television presenter.
10 March	Stuart Wagstaff^[18]	90	Entertainer
13 March	Vincent Wong	87	Actor (Doctor Who, James Bond, Ministry of Mayhem)
17 March	Shaw Taylor^[19]	90	Television presenter and actor (Police 5)
21 March	Jackie Trent^[20]	74	Singer-songwriter (co-authored Neighbours theme)
23 March	Lil' Chris^[21]	24	Singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality (Rock School, CharliiTV)

April

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
2 April	Dennis Marks^[22]	66	Television producer and music director
3 April	Robert Rietti^[23]	92	Actor
7 April	Tom Coyne^[24]	84	News broadcaster and television presenter (Top Gear)
9 April	Richie Benaud^[25]		Cricket commentator
	Paul Almond^[26]	83	Director (Up Series)
13 April	Rex Robinson^[27]	89	Actor (Doctor Who, Yes Minister, Only Fools and Horses)
	Ronnie Carroll^[28]	80	Singer and UK Eurovision contestant (1962 and 1963)
20 April	Peter Howell^[29]	95	Actor (Emergency – Ward 10, Doctor Who, Scum)
28 April	Keith Harris^[30]	67	Ventriloquist (Orville the Duck)
30 April	Nigel Terry^[31]	69	Actor (Excalibur, War Requiem)

May

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
2 May	Ruth Rendell^[32]	85	Author and novelist with Inspector Wexford and The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
13 May	Derek Davis^[33] ^[34]	67	Broadcaster with BBC Northern Ireland and RTÉ
22 May	Terry Sue-Patt^[35]	50	Actor (Grange Hill)
30 May	Jake D'Arcy^[36] ^[37]	69	Actor (Still Game)

June

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
1 June	Charles Kennedy^[38]	55	Liberal Democrat leader and guest presenter of Have I Got News for You
6 June	Richard Johnson^[39]	87	Actor (Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, Silent Witness, Doc Martin)
7 June	Christopher Lee^[40] ^[41]	93	Actor (Gormenghast, The Man with the Golden Gun)
11 June	Ron Moody^[42]	91	Actor
25 June	Patrick Macnee^[43]	93	Actor (The Avengers)
26 June	David McAlister	64	Actor (Hollyoaks)
30 June	Edward Burnham	98	Actor (Doctor Who, To Sir, with Love, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)^[44]

July

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
1 July	Val Doonican^[45]	88	Singer and entertainer (Sunday Night at the Palladium, The Val Doonican Show)
10 July	Roger Rees^[46]	71	Actor and director (Cheers, Singles, The West Wing)
29 July	Peter O'Sullevan^[47]	97	Racing Commentator
30 July	Stuart Baggs^[48]	27	Candidate on The Apprentice

August

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
1 August	Cilla Black^[49] ^[50]	72	Singer and television presenter (Surprise Surprise, Blind Date, The Moment of Truth)
5 August	George Cole^[51]	90	Actor and voice actor (Minder, Cleopatra, My Good Friend, Mary Reilly, Dad, Tube Mice)
8 August	Susan Sheridan^[52]	68	Actress and voice artist (The Black Cauldron, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Noddy's Toyland Adventures, Moomin)
9 August	David Nobbs^[53]	80	Comedy writer and humanist (The Two Ronnies, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, A Bit of a Do, Gentlemen's Relish)
	Jack Gold	85	Film and television director (Escape from Sobibor, The Naked Civil Servant, The Rose and the Jackal, The Chain, Goodnight Mister Tom, Ball Trap on the Cote Sauvage, The Medusa Touch, Heavy Weather)
12 August	Stephen Lewis^[54] ^[55]	88	Actor (On the Buses, Oh, Doctor Beeching!, Last of the Summer Wine)
16 August	Kitty McGeever^[56] ^[57]	48	Actress and comedian (Emmerdale, London's Burning)
25 August	Colin Fry^[58]	53	Television medium
	Geraint Stanley Jones^[59]	79	Television executive, controller of BBC Wales (1981–1989), chief executive of S4C (1989–1994)

September

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
3 September	Judy Carne^[60] ^[61]	76	Actress (Juke Box Jury, The Rag Trade, Marks in His Diary)
19 September	Brian Sewell^[62]	84	Writer, art critic and media personality
	Jackie Collins^[63]	77	Actress, writer and romance novelist
22 September	Derek Ware^[64]		Actor and stuntman (Doctor Who)
27 September	John Guillermin^[65]	89	Film director, writer and producer (The Towering Inferno, King Kong, Death on the Nile, Sheena, King Kong Lives)

October

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
7 October	William Mitchell	87	Writer and editor (Dalesman magazines)
8 October	Hugh Scully^[66]	72	Presenter (Antiques Roadshow)
	Jim Diamond^[67] ^[68]	64	Singer-songwriter (recorded the Boon theme tune, "Hi Ho Silver")
	Richard Davies^[69]	89	Actor (Z-Cars, Please Sir!, Coronation Street)
9 October	Gordon Honeycombe^[70]	79	Newscaster (ITN News, TV-am)
	Julia Jones	82	Television writer and former actress (Quiet as a Nun, Miss Marple, Wycliffe, Anne of Green Gables, Our Mutual Friend, Echoes, The Famous Five)
13 October	Sue Lloyd-Roberts^[71]	64	Television journalist (BBC News, Newsnight, ITN News)
17/18 October	Jacky Sutton^[72]	50	BBC journalist and producer, Iraq director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
22 October	Peter Baldwin^[73] ^[74]	82	Actor (Coronation Street)
29 October	Kenneth Gilbert	84	Actor (Doctor Who, House of Cards)

November

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
1 November	Stephen Hancock^[75]	89	Actor (Ernest Bishop in Coronation Street)
3 November	Colin Welland^[76]	81	Actor and screenwriter (Z-Cars, Blue Remembered Hills)
14 November	Warren Mitchell^[77] ^[78]	89	Actor (Till Death Us Do Part, Death of a Salesman)
	Saeed Jaffrey^[79]	86	Actor (The Jewel in the Crown, Coronation Street)
18 November	Redvers Kyle^[80]	85	Broadcaster, voice over artist, actor and composer
20 November	Peter Dimmock^[81]	94	Sports journalist and BBC executive (Grandstand, BBC Sports Personality of the Year)
	Keith Michell^[82]	88	Actor and director (The Six Wives of Henry VIII)
22 November	Hazel Adair^[83]	95	Writer and producer (Crossroads)
	Robin Stewart^[84]	69	Actor (Bless This House, Cromwell, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires)
25 November	Beth Rogan^[85]	84	Actress (Mysterious Island)

December

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast credibility
2 December	Anthony Valentine^[86]	76	Actor (Colditz, Coronation Street, Escape to Athena)
6 December	Nicholas Smith^[87]	81	Actor (Are You Being Served?, Grace & Favour, Doctor Who, )
7 December	Shirley Stelfox^[88]	74	Actor (Emmerdale, Keeping Up Appearances, Coronation Street) Edna Birch
15 December	Kathy Secker^[89] ^[90]	70	Broadcaster and television presenter (Tyne Tees Television)
19 December	Jimmy Hill^[91]	87	Footballer, football manager and football pundit (Match of the Day)

See also

• 2015 in British music
• 2015 in British radio
• 2015 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2015

Notes and References

1. News: Fiona Cumming 1937–2015 . Doctor Who News . 5 January 2015 . 3 February 2015.
2. News: Al . Senter . Obituary: Barbara Atkinson . The Stage . 28 January 2015.
3. News: Roger Kitter: Stand-up comedian and actor best known for taking over the role of Captain Bertorelli in Allo 'Allo!'. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/roger-kitter-stand-up-comedian-and-actor-best-known-for-taking-over-the-role-of-captain-bertorelli-10147286.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription. The Independent. 31 March 2015.
4. News: Lance Percival – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 9 January 2015 . 9 January 2015.
5. News: Anne . James . Humphrey . Burton . Humphrey Burton obituary . The Guardian . Guardian Media Group . 15 January 2015 . 26 January 2015.
6. News: Avengers and Professionals writer Brian Clemens dies . BBC . BBC News . 12 January 2015 . 12 January 2015.
7. News: Anthony . Hayward . Anne Kirkbride obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 20 January 2015 . 20 January 2015.
8. News: Michael . Rodd . Bob Symes obituary . 30 January 2015 . 3 February 2015 . The Guardian . Guardian Media Group.
9. News: Tom . Eames . Reginald Perrin actress Pauline Yates dies, aged 85 . Digital Spy . 22 January 2015 . 22 January 2015.
10. News: Michael . Quinn . Obituary: Barrie Ingham . The Stage . 4 February 2015.
11. News: Harley . Nicola . Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan dies aged 82 . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 31 January 2015 . 9 July 2015.
12. News: Mike . Barnes . Borys . Kit . 'Star Wars' Actor Richard Bonehill Dies at 67 . The Hollywood Reporter . 5 February 2015 . 16 February 2015.
13. News: Anthony . Hayward . Pamela Cundell obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 16 February 2015 . 17 February 2015.
14. News: Ben . Beaumont-Thomas . Alan Howard, mainstay of RSC and National Theatre, dies aged 77 . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 19 February 2015 . 11 July 2016.
15. News: Michael . QuinnHayward. Obituary: Eileen Essell . The Stage . 28 May 2015 . 30 August 2016.
16. News: Barry Newbery 1927–2015 . Doctor Who News . 25 February 2015 . 7 March 2015.
17. News: Tributes paid following death of Llansteffan artist Osi Rhys Osmond . Local World . Carmarthen Journal . 7 March 2015 . 21 March 2015.
18. News: Michael . Idato . Versatile entertainer became household name . Fairfax Media . Sydney Morning Herald . 12 March 2015 . 18 March 2015.
19. News: Dennis . Barker . Shaw Taylor obituary | Television & radio . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 18 March 2015 . 18 March 2015.
20. News: Singer-songwriter Jackie Trent dies, aged 74 . BBC News . BBC . 22 March 2015 . 22 March 2015.
21. News: Lil' Chris' family issue statement after Lowestoft death . BBC News . BBC . 30 March 2015 . 1 April 2015.
22. News: Dennis Marks, BBC head of music – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 3 April 2015 . 10 April 2015.
23. News: Michael . Freedland . Robert Rietti obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 24 April 2015 . 24 April 2015.
24. News: Cartledge . James . Former Top Gear host dies aged 84 . Trinity Mirror . Birmingham Mail . 7 April 2015 . 24 April 2015.
25. News: Richie Benaud, cricketer and broadcaster – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 10 April 2015 . 10 April 2015.
26. News: Seven Up! director Paul Almond dies aged 83 . BBC News . BBC . 15 April 2015 . 15 April 2015.
27. News: Jeffery . Morgan . Rex Robinson, star of three classic Doctor Who serials, dies aged 89 . Digital Spy . 24 April 2015 . 1 May 2015.
28. News: Ronnie Carroll: Former Eurovision singer and election candidate dies . BBC News . BBC . 14 April 2015 . 14 April 2015.
29. Web site: Peter Howell obituary. Anthony. Hayward. 10 May 2015. www.theguardian.com.
30. News: Anita . Singh . Keith Harris, Orville ventriloquist, dies at 67 . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 28 April 2015 . 28 April 2015.
31. News: Michael . Coveney . Nigel Terry obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 3 May 2015 . 3 May 2015.
32. News: Stanley . Reynolds . Ruth Rendell obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 2 May 2015 . 31 January 2016.
33. News: RTE broadcaster Derek Davis dies after short illness . Independent News and Media . The Irish Independent . 13 May 2015 . 13 May 2015.
34. News: Derek Davis: Former BBC and RTÉ broadcaster dies aged 67 . BBC News . BBC . 13 May 2015 . 13 May 2015.
35. News: Harp . Justin . Grange Hill's Benny Green actor Terry Sue-Patt dies, aged 50 . Digital Spy . 22 May 2015 . 23 May 2015.
36. News: Tributes after Still Game actor Jake D'Arcy dies . BBC News . BBC . 30 May 2015 . 31 May 2015.
37. News: Still Game actor Jake D’Arcy’s funeral held . Johnston Press . The Scotsman . 5 June 2015 . 6 June 2015.
38. News: Charles Kennedy – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 2 June 2015 . 2 June 2015.
39. News: Richard Johnson, actor – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 7 June 2015 . 10 June 2015.
40. News: Benjamin . Lee . Hannah . Ellis-Petersen . Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 11 June 2015 . 11 June 2015.
41. News: Obituary: Sir Christopher Lee . BBC News . BBC . 11 June 2015 . 11 June 2015.
42. News: Dennis . Barker . Ron Moody obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 11 June 2015 . 23 August 2015.
43. News: Patrick Macnee, actor – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 26 June 2015 . 26 June 2015.
44. News: Sandwell . Ian . Edward Burnham 1916–2015 . Doctor Who News . 2 July 2015 . 2 July 2015.
45. News: Dennis . Barker . Val Doonican obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 2 July 2015 . 2 July 2015.
46. News: Roger Rees: Welsh actor dies . BBC News . BBC . 11 July 2015 . 11 July 2015.
47. News: Julian . Wilson . Sir Peter O’Sullevan obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 29 July 2015 . 16 November 2015.
48. News: Apprentice star Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs found dead . BBC News . BBC . 30 July 2015 . 22 August 2015.
49. News: Kassam. Ashifa. Gayle. Damien. Cilla Black may have died as result of an accident, say Spanish police. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. London. 3 August 2015. 15 August 2015.
50. News: Cilla Black – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 2 August 2015 . 22 August 2015.
51. News: Dennis . Barker . George Cole obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 6 August 2015 . 22 August 2015.
52. News: Hitchhikers actress Susan Sheridan dies aged 68 . BBC News . BBC . 9 August 2015 . 29 July 2016.
53. News: Christopher . Hawtree . David Nobbs obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 10 August 2015 . 23 August 2015.
54. News: Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 . BBC News . BBC . 13 August 2015 . 13 August 2015.
55. News: Stephen . Dixon . Stephen Lewis obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 14 August 2015 . 23 August 2015.
56. News: Emmerdale star Kitty McGeever dies, show pays tribute to 'true inspiration' . Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . 17 August 2015 . 17 August 2015.
57. News: Emmerdale actress Kitty McGeever dies aged 48 . BBC News . BBC . 18 August 2015 . 22 August 2015.
58. News: Colin Fry: Medium who for more than 30 years entertained and comforted audiences on stage and on television . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/colin-fry-medium-who-for-more-than-30-years-entertained-and-comforted-audiences-on-stage-and-on-television-10473580.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . Independent Print Limited . The Independent . 27 August 2015 . 29 August 2015.
59. News: Former BBC Wales and S4C head Geraint Stanley Jones dies . . 2015-08-26 . 2015-09-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925052204/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/former-bbc-wales-s4c-head-9931628 . 25 September 2015 .
60. News: Judy Carne, actress – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 7 September 2015 . 27 September 2015.
61. News: Judy Carne, star of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, dies aged 76 . BBC News . BBC . 8 September 2015 . 27 September 2015.
62. News: Andrew . Barrow . Brian Sewell obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 19 September 2015 . 27 September 2015.
63. News: Veronica . Horwell . Jackie Collins obituary | Books . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 20 September 2015 . 9 October 2015.
64. News: Hadoke . Toby . Doctor Who stuntman Derek Ware dies, aged 77 . The Guardian . 19 October 2015 . 19 October 2015.
65. News: Ronald . Bergan . John Guillermin obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 1 October 2015 . 9 October 2015.
66. News: Kashmira . Gander . Hugh Scully dead: Former Antiques Roadshow presenter dies . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hugh-scully-dead-former-antiques-roadshow-presenter-dies-a6688261.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . Independent Print Limited . The Independent . 9 October 2015 . 9 October 2015.
67. News: Glasgow-born singer-songwriter Jim Diamond dies in London home . STV . STV News . 10 October 2015 . 10 October 2015.
68. News: Singer-songwriter Jim Diamond dies . BBC News . BBC . 10 October 2015 . 10 October 2015.
69. News: Anthony . Hayward . Richard Davies obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 15 October 2015 . 31 January 2016.
70. News: Gordon Honeycombe, former TV-am newsreader, dies aged 79 . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 9 October 2015 . 9 October 2015.
71. News: Torin . Douglas . Sue Lloyd-Roberts obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 14 October 2015 . 14 October 2015.
72. News: Alexandra . Topping . Constanze . Letsch . British activist Jacky Sutton found dead in Istanbul airport . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 19 October 2015 . 20 October 2015.
73. Web site: Former Coronation Street star Peter Baldwin (Corrie's Derek Wilton) dies, aged 82. Harp. Justin. 23 October 2015. Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. 23 October 2015. 26 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151026195526/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a675313/former-coronation-street-actor-peter-baldwin-dies-aged-82.html. dead.
74. News: Coronation Street Star Peter Baldwin Dies . British Sky Broadcasting . Sky News . 24 October 2015 . 24 October 2015.
75. News: Anthony . Hayward . Stephen Hancock obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 3 November 2015 . 4 November 2015.
76. News: Colin Welland, screenwriter – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 3 November 2015 . 3 November 2015.
77. News: Actor Warren Mitchell dies aged 89. BBC. BBC News. 14 November 2015. 14 November 2015.
78. News: Warren Mitchell – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 14 November 2015 . 16 November 2015.
79. News: Naseem . Khan . Saeed Jaffrey obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 16 November 2015 . 19 November 2015.
80. News: Redvers Kyle 1929–2015. Graham. Russ. Transdiffusion. 19 November 2015. 19 November 2015.
81. News: Peter Dimmock, broadcaster – obituary . Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 22 November 2015 . 31 January 2016.
82. News: Keith Michell, actor – obituary. The Daily Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 21 November 2015 . 29 November 2015.
83. News: Anthony . Hayward . Hazel Adair obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 23 November 2015 . 29 November 2015.
84. Web site: The Official Robin Stewart Website – Home. www.robin-stewart.com. 13 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20151126033035/http://www.robin-stewart.com/. 26 November 2015. dead. dmy-all.
85. News: Beth Rogan, actress – obituary. The Daily Telegraph Media Group . The Daily Telegraph . 11 December 2015 . 27 August 2016.
86. News: Colditz star Anthony Valentine dies at 76 . BBC News . BBC . 2 December 2015 . 2 December 2015.
87. Web site: Are You Being Served? actor Nicholas Smith dies aged 81. BBC News. 7 December 2015. 7 December 2015.
88. Web site: Emmerdale actress Shirley Stelfox dies aged 74. BBC News. BBC. 8 December 2015. 12 December 2015.
89. Web site: Veteran BBC broadcaster and Grace House patron Kathy Secker dies. Sunderland Echo. 16 December 2015. 16 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151218024740/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/veteran-bbc-broadcaster-and-grace-house-patron-kathy-secker-dies-1-7627592. 18 December 2015. dead.
90. Web site: Former Tyne Tees presenter Kathy Secker dies aged 70. ITV News. ITV . 16 December 2015 . 16 December 2015.
91. News: Richard . Williams . Jimmy Hill obituary . Guardian Media Group . The Guardian . 19 December 2015 . 6 January 2016.