What happened to Russ Abbot?
 

I know it sounds sad, but I was looking at old clips of Top of the Pops from the 80's the other night and in one there was a clip of old Russ singing his now infamous hit, "Atmosphere" from about 1985 I think.

Got me thinking, you literally never see him anymore. A classic example of someone who was hugely famous and then vanished off the face of the earth. He was a proper all round entertainer and I can remember watching his show with my parents as a small child. We thought he was hilarious, he was in cigar adverts as well.

I think he's long overdue a comeback. Why other comedians from the era like Bobby Davro, Joe Pesquale, Cannon and Ball etc still turn up on shows today and old Russ doesn't?:confused:

Last time I saw him was in a serious acting role. It might have been a Marple or Poirot.

He was in Sarah Jane Adventures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwqG8mxfNQg

I think the last time I saw him was on "Married for Life" in the late 90's. Which was possibly what finished his comedy career on television now I think about it.

Glad to know that he is still around though.

And a christmas episode of My Family. He played a replacement for Ben in an alternate reality.

Wasn't he a regular in the later episodes of Last Of The Summer Wine?

Didn't he do Last Of The Summer Wine as well?

He's hardly a recluse!

And I think if you watched those 1980's shows back, you'll realise he was never that funny although a huge prime time star in his day - much like Cannon & Ball who are still doing the same act to this day :rolleyes:

Yup, and he's been Fagin in Oliver! on stage.

Funily enough I was watching the new John Bishop show last night and Les Dennis popped up.

He was looking a bit ropey.

I've not watched Last of the Summer Wine since Compo died, so I'd no idea that he'd been in that.

I know my parents loved Russ. He is from our part of the world and used to live near us, so I'm not sure if that's the reason but we did watch his show each Saturday. I'd forgotten that Les Dennis was in it as well until the devious poster mentioned him

Talking of someone doing the same act for years, you were reminded of Les "well, I don't really know" Dennis :D

I thought he was making a comeback when he appeared in Extras.
It was dark and self depricating humour and could have been a new break.
Never seen him after that though.

Yeah, he's from my home town. Met him when I was three just down the road from our house. Apparently he said, when I told him how old I was, "I was three when I was your age" which everyone apparently found hilarious but kind of proves my point.

Don't get me wrong, he was a massive star in his day and everyone watched his show on a Saturday night, not just people who lived near him, but it was a simpler time and I don't think his shows would stand up now in the same way something like Fawlty Towers does.

He lived near us I think at some time during the 80's. When we were little we used to think it was so exciting that someone so famous lived nearby:o

I suppose times do change, I might go and look at YouTube and see if there are some clips on there.

I went to school with his niece...don't know what she's up to either.

Madhouse and sketch comedy variety shows like it just dont exist anymore which is why we get Clare Balding, Nick Knowles and Dale Winton hosting primetime Saturday shows these days.
Russ was hugely popular and his summer seasons broke records in the eighties. His ITV shows were better than the later BBC ones imo, which hasnt always been the case with other performers.

My dad also used to rent a flat off Keith Harris' dad :o

...and the late Dustin Gee- and Michael Barrymore for a time iirc. Along with Bella Emberg Susie Blake and Sherie Hewson.

My mum was in a panto with Keith Harris as a child!

I also once saw Robbie Savage outside Sainsbury's and Paul Daniels and his wife randomly walking through the town centre :o

Chris, you forgot Lisa Maxwell from Loose Women ;) and Bella Emberg was the fat woman wasn't she? He badly used to rip the piss out of her. She must have had a thick skin.

Yes, among other things she played "Bunderwoman" :D

......opposite Russ's Cooperman

C U Jimmy & his 'hit' Atmosphere are all I remember about him.

I doubt he'd be that funny now though!

We don't have anything funny on now on Saturday nights though do we?
Or game shows. I think Generation Game would still work, they should bring the good ones back. It's not like what we have now is a massive improvement on what we had then.
I've stopped watching telly nearly altogether.

He used to do a mad professor as well.

No I agree. I can remember in the early 90's when there was always a comedy type show on TV on Saturday evenings, on both BBC and ITV. Little and Large, Bobby Davro, Brian Conley etc. There was also Paul Daniels with his magic shows.

I mentioned something recently and my dad was like and what happened to Russ Abbot? with the airman character with the scarf pulled right out to the side lol thats the character I remember most but only just...I was pretty young at the time. I used to watch his show, I think it was Madhouse?, with my parents but I never found it as funny as they did - I didn't have a TV of myself at the time so put up with it though(!) it was funny in parts, quite daft. They like daft comedy, we don't have so much of that anymore, there tends to be more one-upmanship(sp?) type comedy nowadays, its a shame.

Yes, I remember the airman. He also used to do James Bond skit where he'd dress in a wet suit and flippers.