Derek Batey
Hayden
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R.I.P
Longtime host of the orginal and far superior version of Mr and Mrs. dies at the age of 84 after being taken ill while on holiday.
Longtime host of the orginal and far superior version of Mr and Mrs. dies at the age of 84 after being taken ill while on holiday.
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RIP Derek
RIP
Agreed, and quizes weren't cruel like a lot seem to be these days.
Sad day for those of us of 'a cetain age' with first Richard Briers and now Derek, people we grew up watching.
It's Alan Taylor you're thinking of, he did the HTV version. When Mr & Mrs was networked both Border and HTV would initially take it in turns to do the show, with a 'handover' edition in the middle of the run, although after a few years it became the sole remit of Border.
The first Border network series of Mr & Mrs - it had run as a local programme since 1967 - was recorded at Tyne Tees, due to Border not having colour equipment at its studios and the IBA saying 'no' to the idea of the show going out in black and white. These editions were billed as a 'Border Television/Tyne Tees Television Colour Production' which still exist in the archives; the income generated from that series allowed Border to invest in colour equipment and the show to return home to Carlisle.
Derek didn't just do Mr & Mrs, he also presented the chat show Look Who's Talking in which he would interview a star guest. I believe this was also networked. Ken Dodd, Su Pollard and Kenneth Williams were just a few of the big names who made the trip up to Carlisle to talk to Derek, who was perfectly happy to ask them a question, then sit back and let them be the star of the show.
A link to a few anecdotes about Mr & Mrs::
http://www.mr-and-mrs.tv/mr-and-mrs-anecdotes.htm
My parents met him while on holiday at Butlins in Bognor Regis in 1994, where he was doing a travelling version of Mr & Mrs, and found him to be a very friendly and charming man.
Rest in peace, Derek.