Joseph Anthony Capstick (27 July 1944 – 23 October 2003) was an English comedian, actor, musician and broadcaster.

Life and career

First son of Joe Capstick, a wireless operator in the RAF, and his wife, June, née Duncan, he was born in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, and spent most of his childhood in Swinton, South Yorkshire, near Mexborough, also in the West Riding, and for over thirty years he was a presenter on BBC Radio Sheffield. In the 1970s he presented ''Folkweave'' for

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

and continued to work for that station sporadically until the early 1990s. Outside Sheffield, he is perhaps better known as one of the policemen in the long-running British sitcom, '' Last of the Summer Wine'', where he played the role until his death in October 2003, with his final appearance on the show broadcast in April 2004.

Biography

A regular performer on the folk circuit, he recorded many albums. The first was for the Newcastle based record label Rubber Records (''His Round'' with Hedgehog Pie, ''Punch and Judy Man'', ''Tony Capstick Does a Turn'', ''Songs of Ewan MacColl'' with Dick Gaughan and Dave Burland and ''There Was This Bloke'' with Mike Harding, Derek Brimstone and Bill Barclay). In 1981, he unexpectedly reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart with "The Sheffield Grinder" / "Capstick Comes Home". It was recorded with the

Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band {{unreferenced, date=October 2013 The Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band is a brass band based in West Yorkshire, England, and close to South Yorkshire. History The South Elmsall Village Brass Band can be traced back to 1884. In 1905, the band w ...

. His recitation, "Capstick Comes Home", was based on the well-known Hovis wholemeal bread television commercials directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

. "Capstick Comes Home" also peaked at number 92 in Australia in July 1981. As a comedian, he had an eight-part television series, ''Capstick's Capers'', on Channel 4 in 1983. Capstick was also a prolific bit-part actor, with a career including minor roles in the soap operas '' Emmerdale'' and ''

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. Origi ...

''. In the latter he played the recurring character of the brewer Harvey Nuttall. His career at Radio Sheffield came to an end in January 2003. He continued to write a regular column in a local weekly newspaper, the ''Rotherham Advertiser''. Capstick was an author, with Paul Donoghue, of a book on the

Appleby Horse Fair The Appleby Horse Fair, also known as Appleby New Fair, is "an annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria, England." The horse fair is held each year in early June, attracting roughly 10,000 Gy ...

Death

On 23 October 2003, Capstick was found dead at his cottage in Hoober, near Wentworth, South Yorkshire, he had suffered an aneurysm following a bout of pneumonia. He was survived by wife Gillian and his two children from his first marriage.

Discography

*''His Round'' (with Hedgehog Pie), 1971 *''Punch and Judy Man'' (with Hedgehog Pie), 1974 *''Does a Turn'', 1978 *''Songs of Ewan MacColl'' (with Dick Gaughan and Dave Burland), 1978 *"Capstick Comes Home" / "The Sheffield Grinder, No. 3 UK Singles Chart, 1981

Filmography

References

External links

BBC ObituaryBBC list of his work
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capstick, Tony 1944 births 2003 deaths English male television actors English folk musicians English radio presenters English male comedians English chroniclers English columnists People from Mexborough Actors from Doncaster Actors from Rotherham Actors from Yorkshire BBC Radio 2 presenters 20th-century English comedians