mraltariel posted yesterday to say that Geoffrey Perkins had died - hit by a lorry in the street. I didn't want to just rush to post, but I've been thinking about him today and decided to post about him. He was closely involved with 'Father Ted', 'Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy', 'The Fast Show', 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience', 'Big Train', 'Swiss Toni' (see icon), basically everything from Tiger Aspect, and he invented Mornington Crescent apparently, and he was head of BBC comedy in some of its best years (though he was also responsible for My Family alas). He always seemed quite shy when he was on telly, but here he is as Mike Flex, Euro quizmaster.Short appreciation from Graham Linehan.
“Why do you want to make fun of your show?” said Geoffrey, looking wounded and worried. “People will love these characters.”
I later realised that it was a fork in the road, that discussion, and if we had not travelled the way Geoffrey suggested, we’d have ended up lost... we may never have made it to series three. Without Geoffrey, ‘Father Ted’ would have been a cacophonous riot, and not nearly as loved as it is today
I have always had a soft spot for him. I feel the loss.