Oliver Crocker is one of Britain’s leading and most respected authors, historians, podcasters and publishers on classic British television, whose work on iconic productions like The Bill and All Creatures Great and Small is valued and appreciated as much by the creators as by the fans. He has put together something very special for us this episode, as we remember actor and playwright, Frank Williams, who passed away June 26th, 2022, just short of his 91st birthday.
Frank Williams is remembered with enormous fondness by generations of fans as Timothy Farthing, the perpetually exasperated Vicar in the BBC’s Dad’s Army; on television, radio, stage, and in two feature films separated by almost half a century. Victoria Wood once described Dad’s Army as ‘the most affectionately regarded comedy programme in the history of television’, and Frank Williams made his own unique contribution to that universal love for the programme in all its forms, the characters, and the actors who brought them to life.
Oliver joins us to share some personal memories of this incredibly talented, generous and exceedingly kind gentleman, and has also gifted us some very special audio from his own personal archive, of Mr Williams himself, reminiscing about the adventures and misadventures of a working actor from his earliest theatre and film roles, to pioneering and undoubtedly terrifying live-to-air television drama and, of course, Dad’s Army. We also learn about his real life role with the General Synod of the Church of England, and his final, emotional onstage appearance in the West End in 2021, celebrating his 90th birthday.
Huge thanks to Oliver for producing and presenting this special tribute especially for us. Find out more, including some additional background, research notes and links, at our website:
https://dec4podcast.com/2023/06/26/oliver-crocker-remembering-frank-williams/