Rodney Bewes has died aged 79.
The ‘Likely Lads’ star – who was best known for starring as Bob Ferris in the sitcom – passed away on Tuesday (21.11.17) morning.
His agent said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we confirm that our dear client, the much loved actor Rodney Bewes, passed away this morning. [He was a] true one off and a brilliant story teller. He had a funny anecdote for every occasion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. We will miss him terribly."
‘The Likely Lads’ – which starred Rodney and actor James Bolam – was a huge hit with viewers in the two years it was on air between 1964 and 1966. Its sequel, ‘Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads?’, first aired on the BBC in January 1973 and was a big hit too, pulling in an impressive 27 million viewers.
Rodney and James famously fell out when Rodney told a personal story about James and his wife in 1976. Realising his mistake, he rang to apologise the next day but James put the phone down and they have reportedly never spoken since.
Rodney is survived by his four children – Billy, Joe, Tom and Daisy – and his two grandchildren, Oscar and Eliza.