John Woodnutt condolence thread
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He was a great actor.
Knightmare was the only thing I saw him in, but his performances as Merlin always made me laugh.
And Mogred scared me witless as a kid.......
RIP.
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Condolences to those who knew John Woodnutt personally. His scenes on Knightmare are among its best and worst, its funniest and scariest, but always memorable. He is enjoyable to watch, and inspiring too - the most recent IKM Caption Competition and Interactive Story, over 15 years after the event, are two of many testaments to that.
Thank you, Mr. Woodnutt. To paraphrase Brother Mace from Series 5: although Merlin is no longer with us, his magic remains.
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John, you will be sadly missed indeed, as well as Knightmare and Doctor Who you contributed to the comedy world in Terry and June and the marvellous Jeeves and Wooster series of the early 90s as the inimatable Sir Watkyn Bassett!
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While this news has yet to be confirmed, if it's true, then it is a great loss indeed. Not much I think I can say that hasn't been said here already... he was a great and versatile actor, with a commanding presence and excellent timing, capable of bringing real credibility and dignity to any role he played. Knightmare certainly benefited greatly from his involvement.
For those wanting to know more about his acting career, his IMDB entry can be found here: [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0940407/](<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0940407/>)His wikipedia entry is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woodnutt
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I have spotted a mention of his passing on the Outpost Gallifrey website.
'Actor John Woodnutt, who appeared in four episodes of Doctor Who, recently passed away, according to a note on the Restoration Team Forum. Woodnutt, born in 1924, played Hibbert in "Spearhead from Space," the Draconian Emperor in "Frontier in Space," the Duke of Forgill and Zygon leader Broton in "Terror of the Zygons" and as Seron in "The Keeper of Traken," had an enormous career in British television and film for decades, including appearing in episodes of "Jeeves and Wooster," "The Bill," "The Tomorrow People," "Sherlock Holmes," "Adam Adamant Lives!," "The Avengers" and "Z Cars," and his last film role was in the movie "Dragonheart: A New Beginning".'
It may not mention Knightmare, but his acting CV is certainly impressive. It seems he is very fondly remembered by many more people outside of the Knightmare community. A nice legacy.
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This is terribly sad. As a fan who started watching in series 2 as a young (5 year old) boy, my memories are of a man who held a quiet yet friendly authority as Merlin and who was capable of provoking a terrified response from this young boy as Mogdred. That he was able to play 2 contrasting roles equally well is a testiment to his undoubted talent.
Keeds
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I can only add my own small tribute to John alongside all these wonderful glowing posts.
He brought such a wry warmth to his role as Merlin and a sinister menace to his role as Mogdred, and was never bettered for either part in Knightmare's run.
RIP John
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I'm not sure there's anything else that I could add, except: goodbye John, and you're not forgotten, especially with KM series 2 on Challenge at the moment.
Didn't Mary Miller die in 1998?
It seems that was a mistake made by the IMDB. That death date is no longer present, and there's an entry for something she did in 2005.
To clear everything up once and for all, the error was that it was Mary MillAr, with an A, who died in 1998. She played Rose in Keeping Up Appearances.
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I'm very sorry to hear of John Woodnutt's passing!
Thanks to Kirean for the Doctor Who episode titles. As a fan [particularly of the late 80's] I must also look these up too.
I must also keep my eyes peeled for John's appearance in Terry & June. I have the first 6 series on DVD so I better start watching again.
You learn something everyday! Not always good news, but always something new!
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Just wanted to bring this to the attention of the forum -
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article342104.ece
- for its (in my opinion) appalling omission.
I vote to send Mr. Gaughan to Mogdred's Playpen.
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Just wanted to bring this to the attention of the forum -
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article342104.ece
- for its (in my opinion) appalling omission.
I vote to send Mr. Gaughan to Mogdred's Playpen.
Upon reading this post, I was compelled enough to e-mail The Independent themselves regarding the relevant omittance:
From: James Aukett
Sent: 23 September 2007 15:01:35
To: obituaries @ independent.co.uk
Cc: g.gaughan @ independent.co.uk
*To whom it may concern,
A friend of mine recently showed me the obituary for actor John Woodnutt, which was published on January 31st, 2006:
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article342104.ece
We were both displeased to notice that in the obituary, no mention was made of his roles as Merlin and Mogdred in the children's TV programme Knightmare, which he appeared in from 1987 to 1990.
Although one understands that the obituary was published over 18 months ago, it would be much appreciated if the online obituary could be amended to included Mr Woodnutt's role in this programme.
Many thanks for your time in reading this e-mail.
Yours sincerely,
James Aukett*
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If the online obituary is a copy of one published in the newspaper, it's unlikely that it will be altered. Having said that, a reply to your email may shed light on why Mr. Gaughan made that omission, either by choice or by accident.
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