Merseyside Mirth Makers - Geoffrey Hughes

Geoffrey Hughes

Geoffrey Hughes was born on the 2nd of February 1944 in Wallasey, Cheshire but was brought up in Liverpool, where he attended Ranworth Square Primary School. He then went to Abbotsford Secondary Modern School in Norris Green.
He started his acting career after leaving school, attending repertory at the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent and did some acting with the left-wing group, Unity Theatre, in Liverpool, where he was spotted by actor Tom Bell and playwright Alun Owen before performing in several West End productions.
He first appeared in 1960's shows such as 'Z-Cars' and 'The Likely Lads'. He was also the voice of Paul McCartney in the Beatles animation film 'Yellow Submarine'. He said "The producers were looking for Beatle voices and my agent sent to me to do George Harrison," he said. "I told George Dunning, who was a Canadian, about the difference between posh Scouse and normal Scouse, that is, the difference between John and Paul on the one hand, and George and Ringo on the other. They put the emphasis in different places when they speak and I was asked to do Paul McCartney instead. Incidentally, I am the whole of the Everton football team in that film. It's 11 of me in the 'Eleanor Rigby' sequence."

His comedy appearances on TV, when he invariably played an overweight, gap-toothed, slightly suspect but friendly layabout with a Scouse accent, include 'Please Sir', Dad's Army', 'Curry and Chips', 'No, Honestly', 'The Upper Hand ' and Hyacinth Bucket's slobbish brother-in-law Onslow in the BBC sitcom 'Keeping Up Appearances'.

Eddie, Hilda and Stan

In 1974, Hughes was eventually cast as binman Eddie Yeats in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street. Over the next nine years he became, with Stan Ogden ( Bernard Youens ) a foil to Stan's long suffering wife Hilda ( Jean Alexander ). The producers quickly realised they had comedy gold with the relationships between Stan, Hilda and their dodgy lodger, who with his huge grin and silly laugh created havoc with his every move.
Helen Worth, who plays Gail McIntyre in Coronation Street, said: "Geoff was a very dear friend for many years. He was a master of gentle comedy and brought pleasure to so many people". William Roache (Ken Barlow) said: "He was a warm loveable ­actor with great comedy timing."

'Mambo No.5'

In the Noughties he landed two big roles - playing the wheeler dealer and loveable rogue Vernon Scripps in 'Hearbeat' and the role of Twiggy in 'The Royle Family' where he would usually appear selling knock off stuff and going into prison every year for fraud. He was good friends with 'The Royles' and regulary came round selling jeans or some other knocked off stuff. One of the most memorable moments was when he comes round to help Jim, his fellow Liverpool 'mate' Ricky Tomlinson, decorate the living-room to the tune of 'Mambo No.5'.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 but recovered. In 2010 the cancer returned and he had to retire from acting. He appeared in two short comedy films which were in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Expresso 2007 and Waiting in Rhyme 2009. Geoffrey passed away due to the cancer in 2012.

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