... STEPHEN MITCHELL Stephen Mitchell, who died in Denville Hall on January 10, was one of the West End's most respected theatrical managers, a gentleman of the old school of theatre. Always immaculately dressed, he cut an imposing figure at his own lavish first night receptions. Associated closely through out his career with the play wrights Emlyn Williams and Terence Rattigan, he was shrewd ...

... SPIKE O'BRIEN A pianist with Bradford group the Dingos in 1958, Spike O'Brien real name, Brian Holt was a musical genius and actually had to be persuaded to join a band that played dancehalls and theatres around the country before the Beatles and the Rolling Stones appeared on the scene to tighten their grip on a whole new music explosion. When Spike left the Dingos, he formed his own band, ...

... Jean Metcalfe Although she has been absent from public life for many years, millions of radio listeners will still recall vividly, and with immense pleasure, the distinctive, warm and appealing voice of Jean IMetcalfe, who died on January 28 aged 76 in Petersfield, Hampshire. She was bom in Reigate, Surrey, and joined the BBC as a secretary in 1940, shortly after leaving school. Having made ...

... STAN SIMMONS Stan Simmons, who died on January 11, aged 73, was by his sheer physical size and bulk one of the most recognisable figures in films and pantomimes. While his name was not always on every body's lips, he was regularly in work throughout his long career. Simmons started life as a roadie in the fifties on tour with some of the major pop stars of the day, including a notable season ...

... SYLVIA FLAHERTY Former variety artist Sylvia Flaherty, who has died at the age of 85, was one of the foremost campaigners in the fight to save the Theatre Royal, Chatham. The theatre was closed in 1955 and fell into disrepair, but local support led by Flaherty and many others ensured wide publicity and national headlines for the town's enthusiasm. She started a petition to save the building ...

... STAN LITTLE Diminutive variety artist Stan Little died on January 2 after a short illness. He was 89. Little joined the profession at a young age, teaming up with his friend and partner Stan Pell to form Pell and Little, which toured theatres for around 30 years. The act also went to South Africa with a follies show for George Black. In 1935, the duo joined Prince Littler's Humpty Dumpty ...

... SYDMARX Accomplished and successful, comedian Syd Marx embodied the spirit of the heyday of variety and music hall. Fair-haired and jovial, his was an act that proved popular with audiences of all ages. His billing matter, once a comic's important trademark, was Fool Marx for Comedy. He appeared in numerous summer seasons and panto mimes throughout the country and was rarely out of work, often ...

... WENDY TREWIN Unparalleled in ner Knowledge or London theatre both past and present, the critic, journalist and historian Wendy Trewin died suddenly of pneumonia on January 4, aged 84. She was bom in Plymouth in July 1915 and began work as a reporter for the Western Independent. London's oldest working critic, she cut an intrepid figure making her nightly way from Hampstead by public transport. ...

... BERNARD PRICE An all-round entertainer, Bernard Price, who died on February 11 at the age of 74, was head of the New Era Academy of Drama and Music for 30 years. For many years, he was also one of the late Jessie Matthews' closest confidantes, and appeared on stage with her several times. Bom in Surrey on March 25, 1925, he took an early interest in drama. In 1944, he was spotted by Sir Barry ...

... Robin Scott Although he held several important posts with BBC Television during a long career in broadcasting, Robin Scott, who died recently in London at the age of 79, will always be associated with the launch of the Corporation's first pop station, Radio 1. Surrounded by his initial team of disc jockeys, he featured in the famous photograph taken in September 1967 on the steps of All Souls, ...

... KENNETH WALLER He only achieved national fame comparatively late in life, but Kenneth Waller, who has died at the age of 72, enjoyed a long and busy career on both stage and television. Bom in Huddersfield, York shire, on November 5, 1927, after National Service in the RAF, Waller worked for a firm of auctioneers. Experience in local rep at the Oxford Playhouse encouraged him to move to London ...

... GWEN WATTS Gwen Watts, who died on February 5, was a character actress of distinction with a flair for comedy, and much of her career was spent working along side some of Britain's best-known comedians. Her early work, how ever, involved a considerable run in Sandy Wilson's musical The Boy Friend, which opened at the Wyndham's Theatre in 1954 and ran until 1959. In 1962. she was in Lionel ...