Robert Andrew Wass (25 November 1945 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Bobby Knutt, was an English actor and comedian. He was known throughout his acting career for appearing as

Albert Dingle ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 1995, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the series producer Mervyn Watson. ...

in the ITV soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...

'' and in '' Coast to Coast'', a film with Lenny Henry, and in his final years for the role of Eddie Dawson in the ITV sitcom ''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

''. Before making his name in British television, he had appeared in another ITV soap opera, ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'', from 1980 to 1983 portraying Ron Sykes. He was married to athlete

Donna Hartley Donna Hartley-Wass MBE, born Donna-Marie Louise Murray and formerly known as Donna Hartley (1 May 1955 – 7 June 2013), was a British athlete. Career Hartley was born in Southampton, England in 1955. She was a south of England sprint cha ...

from 1986 until her death in 2013. He died on 25 September 2017 while holidaying in

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...

. His last appearance was in the tenth series of ''Benidorm''; this was the last episode of that programme.

Early life

Knutt was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

. After passing the

eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academ ...

in 1957, he attended Abbeydale Grammar School in Sheffield. Still at school, he began to perform as a singer in a group called Bob Andrews and the Questors in 1961, switching to another group, the Whirlwinds, in 1963, and in 1964 formed a comedy double act called Pee & Knutt. However, his partner Geoff Morton refused to turn professional.

Career

In 1965 under the stage name of Bobby Knutt he went solo, performing as one of the youngest pro comedians in the country. He was first known nationally for his performances on the

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

show '' The Comedians'' and ''

The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club ''The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club'' was a British television variety show produced by Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton ...

''. He was cast in the lead role in the BBC's ''

The Price of Coal ''The Price of Coal'' is a two-part television drama written by Barry Hines and directed by Ken Loach first broadcast as part of the ''Play for Today'' series in 1977. Set at the fictional Milton Colliery, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, the e ...

'' (1977) directed by

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

, allowing him to move beyond stand-up comedy. He acted in many British television comedies and dramas including ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of '' Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes f ...

'', '' Heartbeat'', ''

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates ''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates'' is a British crime drama television series, starring Patricia Routledge as the title character, Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp, that aired for four series between 3 January 1996 and 4 September 1998 on BBC One. ...

'', '' All Creatures Great & Small'' and ''

Our Friends in the North ''Our Friends in the North'' is a British television drama serial produced by the BBC. It was originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC2 in early 1996. Written by Peter Flannery, it tells the story of four friends from Newcastle upon Tyne ...

''. Notably, he starred in soap operas: ''

'' as

, ''

'' as garage-owner Ron Sykes, and his last acting role as Eddie Dawson in the sitcom ''

''. He had regular roles in 14 pantomimes at

Crucible A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. While crucibles were historically usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands te ...

and Lyceum theatres. In 2008, he published his autobiography ''Eyup Knutty'' followed by the sequel ''Eyup Again'' in 2010. He worked as a comedian on cruise ships and provided the voice of "Gaffer" on

Tetley Tea Tetley is an English beverage manufacturer founded in 1837 in Yorkshire. It is the largest tea company in the United Kingdom and Canada, and the second largest in the United States by volume. Since 2000, Tetley has been a wholly owned subsidia ...

Folk TV ads. In 2012, a shoulder operation went wrong, disabling his right arm thus depriving him of his ability to play guitar which was a regular finale to his cabaret act on the cruise ships. Due to this he reluctantly retired from live entertainment but continued in acting.

Personal life

Knutt was married to athlete Donna Hartley-Wass, a bronze medallist track-runner in the 1980 Olympic Games (4 × 400 m relay), from 20 January 1986 until her death in 2013. On his 25th wedding anniversary he was quoted as saying: "I wish I'd married my third wife first".

Death

On 25 September 2017, while still on holiday in the south of France, Knutt suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital, where he died aged 71.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knutt, Bobby 1945 births 2017 deaths Comedians from Yorkshire English male comedians English male television actors English stand-up comedians Male actors from Sheffield