British comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor died in the early hours of April 12 in England at the age of 79 as a result of complications form the Covid-19 virus.

Best known for being a part of the comedic trio The Goodies, Brooke-Taylor got his start with the Footlights Revue at Cambridge University. He later worked in radio and television. In 1975, Brooke-Taylor and his The Goodies mates Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie had a hit song on the UK chart with “Funky Gibbon” and “The Inbetweenies”.

Brooke-Taylor spent over 40 years as a panelist on the radio comic quiz show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue”.

Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II honoured Brooke-Taylor, along with his The Goodies mate Graeme Garden, with OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – for their contributions to entertainment. Bill Oddie earned his for his contributions to wildlife preservation.

Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor was born on July 17, 1940 in Buxton, in the United Kingdom the third child of a World War I veteran, solicitor, and the local coroner. His father also served in the Home Guard. His father died when young Tim was only 13 years old. He entered college to follow in the family footsteps and study law. But being roommates with John Cleese of Monty Python fame changed all that.

At first thinking participation in the Floodlights Revue as a spot of fun, his role in “A Clump of Plinths” led to an appearance on London’s West End and on Broadway.

The one time folly turned serious when Brooke-Taylor landed a spot on the BBC radio show “ I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again”.

Writing a great deal of the material they used, Brooke-Taylor made his televivion debut on “The Wednesday Play” in 1966. From there he appeared in dozens of productions including “At Last the 1948 Show”, “Marty”, “Broaden Your Mind”, the computer voice in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, “Engelbert with the Young Generation”, “His and Hers”, 77 episodes of “The Goodies”, “You Must Be the Husband”, “Bananaman”, “Me and My Girl”, and his final appearance in 2015 in “Doctors”.

Brooke-Taylor appeared as himself in over 80 productions including documentaries, variety shows, comedy shows, game shows, “Masterchef”, as host on 121 episodes of “Beat the Nation”, “Monty Python: Almost the Truth – The Lawyer’s Cut”, and “50 Years of BBC2 Comedy”.

He is survived by his wife Christine and sons Ben and Edward.

 

Feature phtot credit: By Ed g2s – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36655935