[Black Velvet]

Just been reading about Richard Briers actor from 'The Good Life' battling with a chronic lung disease emphysema after smoking '500,000 cigarettes'. I'm pretty sure that the actress who played Vera Duckworth in corrie is battling with emphysema as well due to be a heavy smoker.
Going back in time there were not the warnings that there is now about smoking. Though my own late father if he hadn't have smoked so heavily and my mother in law who never even saw her grandchildren. They would have had many years to enjoy them if only they had not smoked or packed them in a damn sight sooner than they did because by that time the damage was done for both of them.


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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...ssion-own.html

[Eddie Badger]

Sad news. Emphysemia is a very unpleasant disease, I had an uncle who had it and he described it as spending years being slowly suffocated.

[zoepaulpenny]

Originally Posted by Black Velvet

Just been reading about Richard Briers actor from 'The Good Life' battling with a chronic lung disease emphysema after smoking '500,000 cigarettes'. I'm pretty sure that the actress who played Vera Duckworth in corrie is battling with emphysema as well due to be a heavy smoker.
Going back in time there were not the warnings that there is now about smoking. Though my own late father if he hadn't have smoked so heavily and my mother in law who never even saw her grandchildren. They would have had many years to enjoy them if only they had not smoked or packed them in a damn sight sooner than they did because by that time the damage was done for both of th
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...ssion-own.html

SHAME to hear about his poor health.. he is a good actor..
I am sure his condition is not solely due to smoking. other factors with the elderly must contribute.

[haphash]

Yes it is sad but he is pretty old. Old people do get serious diseases and die, its not entirely unexpected.

[DiamondDoll]

Lovely man.
Saddened that he is suffering like this.

[Hotgossip]

I loved him on all those old progs.
Emphysemia is a horrible disease - in fact all those lung and respiratory illnesses are awful because you are literally left gasping for breath. It is very distressing for the patient and equally distressing for the family to witness.

[The Prumeister]

Bless him; absolutely adore Richard Briers; Ever Decreasing Circles is a work of genius IMHO.

Also interesting that he doesn't seem to be pally with Felicity Kendall - she always strikes me as a bit up herself

Hope he manages to manage his condition and lead his twilight years in good health and happiness.

[Dormouse]

Sad to hear - he was a near neighbour of mine about 20 years ago, and a nicer man you couldn't wish to meet.

[DiamondDoll]

Originally Posted by Dormouse

Sad to hear - he was a near neighbour of mine about 20 years ago, and a nicer man you couldn't wish to meet.

I cannot recall ever hearing anything vaguely negative about him.
Lovely man imho.

[Aidan11]

One of our top comedy actors.

Shame this has happened to him.

[Saltydog1955]

So sorry to hear this.

He's a wonderful actor in everything from comedy to Shakespeare.

Emphysema is a horrible disease - and smoking is the leading cause of it. My Mil got it after years of heavy smoking and oddly, many years after she gave up the weed.

[earthling13]

I read that on-line early this morning. What a bitter sweet interview. Prunella looking good at 80 but that doesn't compensate for loss of memory.

[degsyhufc]

Originally Posted by Black Velvet

Just been reading about Richard Briers actor from 'The Good Life' battling with a chronic lung disease emphysema after smoking '500,000 cigarettes'. I'm pretty sure that the actress who played Vera Duckworth in corrie is battling with emphysema as well due to be a heavy smoker.
Going back in time there were not the warnings that there is now about smoking. Though my own late father if he hadn't have smoked so heavily and my mother in law who never even saw her grandchildren. They would have had many years to enjoy them if only they had not smoked or packed them in a damn sight sooner than they did because by that time the damage was done for both of them.


.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...ssion-own.html

I watched the TV movie Best of Men (About Stoke Mandeville Hospital during WWII and the start of the Paralympics) the other week and when the injured soldiers were in hospital the German doctor came in with all his new ways and ideas.
Yet they were all still smoking on the wards and even the doc was handing out ciggies

[Hotgossip]

An elderly man I know gave up about 10 years ago because he had to have his leg amputated due to heavy smoking.

He was a driver in the Army in WWII and when they were being taught to drive lorries the instructor used to take their fags off them. Everybody smoked in those days. He would put the packet of fags just behind the front wheel so that they learnt to do a hill start properly.

[Misty08]

He does always come across as a nice man. Emphysema is usually caused by smoking and that would definitely be so in Richard Briers` case. So many smokers still don`t seem to be aware of it, and think that smoking will just stop them from having a slow and painful decline. Actually, it will cause it.

[chrisii2011]

Such a shame

[Hotgossip]

[quote=Misty08;63999087]He does always come across as a nice man. Emphysema is usually caused by smoking and that would definitely be so in Richard Briers` case. So many smokers still don`t seem to be aware of it, and think that smoking will just stop them from having a slow and painful decline. Actually, it will cause it.[/QUOTE

Hooked up to oxygen tanks, using stairlifts, going out with tubes up your nose and people pushing your wheelchair .......... no thanks.

[dorydaryl]

My mum has it. She used to run rings round everyone, physically. She 's smoked from being 15 but has cut down dramatically, now, with the help of e-cigs. When she was younger and fitter, she never seemed to think it would catch up with her but it has. Thankfully, it's not at the extreme end but it's bad enough. So, really sad to learn that Richard Briers has it as I've always thought of him as a bit of a gem.

ETA: Some of the comments following that article were awful. Still, what do you expect from a certain subsection of DM readers.

[flashgordon1952]

i gather he has been ill for years now. and its not surpriseing he has lung disease at all.
When mr briars was young it was thought to be a healthy thing to smoke (i kid yu not) and macho too as well. so you would look a weed at school if you did not smoke...
And yes smokeing will kill you ,it may not be tomorrow but one day...probabaly not in too distant future if you smoke more than 15 a day !
I remeber a very famous case that caused serious harm to the cigarette industry in the USA.
The marlborough man as he was known ,had a contract that he had to be seen in public smokeing a marlborough ciggy. Then his health was bad and they sack him . But he got the last laugh by sueing the makers of marlborough cigarettes and won his case. then the balloon went up and there was many smilar cases of cigarette companies being sured for hundreds of millions of dollars.
How anyone was stupid to believe that smokeing was good for you is beyond me..
Now i see australia is looking to banning smokeing cigs in public.

[teresagreen]

When I was in hospital in the early '70's there were women who were smoking on the ward.

[Hotgossip]

Originally Posted by teresagreen

When I was in hospital in the early '70's there were women who were smoking on the ward.

In the early 80's there were still Day Rooms where you could smoke in hospitals. You could also smoke in waiting rooms at doctors and dentists.

[degsyhufc]

Originally Posted by flashgordon1952

i gather he has been ill for years now. and its not surpriseing he has lung disease at all.
When mr briars was young it was thought to be a healthy thing to smoke (i kid yu not) and macho too as well. so you would look a weed at school if you did not smoke...
And yes smokeing will kill you ,it may not be tomorrow but one day...probabaly not in too distant future if you smoke more than 15 a day !
I remeber a very famous case that caused serious harm to the cigarette industry in the USA.
The marlborough man as he was known ,had a contract that he had to be seen in public smokeing a marlborough ciggy. Then his health was bad and they sack him . But he got the last laugh by sueing the makers of marlborough cigarettes and won his case. then the balloon went up and there was many smilar cases of cigarette companies being sured for hundreds of millions of dollars.
How anyone was stupid to believe that smokeing was good for you is beyond me..
Now i see australia is looking to banning smokeing cigs in public.

Mostly because they were allowed to advertise it. People will think it's ok if the governments are allowing it to be advertised on the telly.

Same as how alcohol is causing major health and mental problems.
and I can see a time when they do something about all the casino ads on tv because people are addicted to it and loosing all their money.

I guess with cigarettes it just became more obvious sooner and was easier to crack down on.

[dorydaryl]

Originally Posted by degsyhufc

Mostly because they were allowed to advertise it. People will think it's ok if the governments are allowing it to be advertised on the telly.

Same as how alcohol is causing major health and mental problems.
and I can see a time when they do something about all the casino ads on tv because people are addicted to it and loosing all their money.

I guess with cigarettes it just became more obvious sooner and was easier to crack down on.

Some home truths, here, yeah.

It's so easy for us to judge stuff in retrospect. Some of the DM article comments were so nasty about the fact that RB smoked. He's not blaming anyone else or wallowing in self-pity. He accepts why he is as he is. No need for people to be spiteful about it.

[jack patterson]

Originally Posted by Misty08

He does always come across as a nice man. Emphysema is usually caused by smoking and that would definitely be so in Richard Briers` case. So many smokers still don`t seem to be aware of it, and think that smoking will just stop them from having a slow and painful decline. Actually, it will cause it.

No Emphysema can be caused by other things and old age is one of them, another thing is certain moulds growing in damp walls can cause it as well as whatever chemicals were in your workplace.

The fact is 500,000 cigarettes haven't killed him, if you ate
say 500,000 eggs it probably would?

[Misty08]

Originally Posted by jack patterson

No Emphysema can be caused by other things and old age is one of them, another thing is certain moulds growing in damp walls can cause it as well as whatever chemicals were in your workplace.

The fact is 500,000 cigarettes haven't killed him, if you ate
say 500,000 eggs it probably would?

Old age increases your chances of getting most things, but old age on its own will not cause emphysema. 500,000 eggs, eaten over a lifetime are very unlikely to kill you. As has been pointed out, Briers blames nothing but smoking for his illness. You are clutching at straws here. Are you a smoker, by any chance?