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Tony Capstick


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TONY CAPSTICK
1944-2003

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Tony Capstick (July 27, 1944 � 23 October 2003) was a British comedian, actor, musician and broadcaster. He was born in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, England and for over 30 years he was a presenter on BBC Radio Sheffield. Outside Sheffield, he is perhaps better known as one of the policemen in the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

A regular performer on folk circuits, in 1981 he reached number 3 in the UK singles chart with "The Sheffield Grinder" / "Capstick Comes Home". 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. 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, when he was dismissed for an alleged drop in quality, following the latest in a string of drunk driving offences. He continued to write a regular column in a local weekly newspaper, the Rotherham Advertiser, but his mood and health never recovered from the sacking.

His record Capstick Comes Home was based on the well-known Hovis Wholemeal Bread commercials directed by Ridley Scott.

He was found dead at his cottage in Hoober, near Wentworth, Rotherham.

He was survived by wife Gillian, and first wife Carol, mother of his children: son James and daughter Vicky.

Capstick was author, with Paul Donoghue, of a book on the Appleby Horse Fair.

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I WAS REALLY SAD WHEN TONY DIED.HE WAS A GREAT BLOKE AND ONCE DID US A FAVOUR OF APPEARING ON ONE OF OUR BODY SCANNER APPEALS SHOWS(GOT A PHOTO SOMEWHERE).ANDPROMOTED THIS AND ANOTHER SHOW ON HIS RADIO SHOWS.HIS HUMOUR IS SADLY MISSED AND HIS GOOD NIGHT IRENE FINISHING SONG SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECORDED. WHEN I WAS STOPPED DOING A COLUMN IN THE MAINLINE BUSES OWN PAPER ROOTS,IT WAS CAPPY WHO TOOK OER. SOMETIMES HE WOULD CATCH MY BUS ON A SUNDAY MORNING UPTO BROOMHILL AND ALLWAYS A GRIN AND A JOKE EVEN THROUGH ALL HIS TROUBLES. WHEN MY SON TOOK HIM UP TO BROOMHILL IN BAD SNOW AND DODGING BADLY PARKED DUMPED VEHICLES HE BLASTED THE DRIVERS OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE RADIO AND GAVE BUS DRIVERS THE PRAISE THEY DESERVED.THIS MAN WAS A CHARACTOR WHO IS SADLY MISSED.AND THE LAST TIME WE SAW HIM, HE WAS HAVING A SNACK IN TJ HUGHES AND DID NOT SEEM HIMSELF.

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Guest lesvegas

Capstick was a nutter by all accounts but in a nice way

I cant post some of the storys ive heard unfortunatly

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Guest nosy nellie

Listen to Tony singing about a "Sheffield Grinder"

Tony_Capstick___The_Sheffield_Grinder.mp3

I wish someone could make a d.v.d or a c.d.of tony capsticks performances.H e was a fantastic

singer, comedian, raconteur, and all round performer not appreciated enough he could have gone a lot further.

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I never heard himon the radio until he passed away.

They ran a special at christmas which was great except for one thing...that pillock Robinson was allowed to present it.

I can't stand this fella. I used to listen to his show for the people not him. Later on after TC had passed away Robinson made some less than flaterring remarks about him, alledgedly.

While I don't know if this is true I can sort of belive it.

Any way...getting back to the famous one, TC...while listening to his special we heard for the first time the "Hovis" tune he did. My son, who was with me at the time laughed all afternoon about the ..."My dad said you should come home to something warm and cheerful, so he threw me mam on the fire", line.

Wished I had heard him when he was on the radio.

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Guest nosy nellie

I never heard himon the radio until he passed away.

They ran a special at christmas which was great except for one thing...that pillock Robinson was allowed to present it.

I can't stand this fella. I used to listen to his show for the people not him. Later on after TC had passed away Robinson made some less than flaterring remarks about him, alledgedly.

While I don't know if this is true I can sort of belive it.

Any way...getting back to the famous one, TC...while listening to his special we heard for the first time the "Hovis" tune he did. My son, who was with me at the time laughed all afternoon about the ..."My dad said you should come home to something warm and cheerful, so he threw me mam on the fire", line.

Wished I had heard him when he was on the radio.

Talking to tony capstick at a folk concert once I remarked how I was not very keen on R.R on radio but Tony would not have a wrong word said against R,R.But I too did not like the remarks R.R made about about Tony Capstick.T.C was at his best when he first started on Radio Sheffield with Michael ?Forgotten his name.Could somebody remind me.

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I never heard himon the radio until he passed away.

They ran a special at christmas which was great except for one thing...that pillock Robinson was allowed to present it.

I can't stand this fella. I used to listen to his show for the people not him. Later on after TC had passed away Robinson made some less than flaterring remarks about him, alledgedly.

While I don't know if this is true I can sort of belive it.

Any way...getting back to the famous one, TC...while listening to his special we heard for the first time the "Hovis" tune he did. My son, who was with me at the time laughed all afternoon about the ..."My dad said you should come home to something warm and cheerful, so he threw me mam on the fire", line.

Wished I had heard him when he was on the radio.

Enjoy another listen at it.

Tony_Capstick___Capstick_Comes_Home.mp3

Tony_Capstick___Capstick_Comes_Home.mp3

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Guest Bigals

He moved to Swallownest in the 70's, at the bottom of Mansfield Road hill across the road from the Swallownest Inn. A mate of mine lived nearby and he started coming out with us. He was a good guy but he obviously had problem with the booze.

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Guest echo

He once came to where I worked, on behalf of Radio Sheffield. I got speaking to him. He told me all about the making of 'Last of the Summer Wine'. He was really interesting, and down to earth with it too. A good guy.

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I never heard himon the radio until he passed away.

They ran a special at christmas which was great except for one thing...that pillock Robinson was allowed to present it.

I can't stand this fella. I used to listen to his show for the people not him.Later on after TC had passed away Robinson made some less than flaterring remarks about him, alledgedly.

RR (who I can't say I like either) had a complaint made against him for his remarks after Tony died, but he explained on the radio that what he had said was that perhaps Radio Sheffield should have sacked him sooner, but what he actually went on to say was that if they had, it might have shocked Tony into realising what was happening and brought him out of it, and he might still be with us.

If you never heard Tony on the radio you missed a treat. Some of his funniest bits were the trails he did for the show. One of my favourite stories he told was when he was working the clubs. He did his act, jokes and all, and then went to the bar. At the end of the bar was the usual old feller in his usual seat, so Tony asked him "Now then faather, did you enjoy that?" to which the old feller replied, "Aye, it were all reight, if tha likes laffin"

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Some Grenoside friends tell me that in the late 60s and into the 70s Tony Capstick was a member of the Cupola Folk Club founded by Ray Cox at The Old Red Lion pub at Grenoside (see thread in the "Pubs" section).

Tony was a member of "The Wayward Boys" folk group which included Pete Garratt, Ken Atkinson, Ray Cox and one or two more. I understand they were a very talented group.

Tony Capstick was a very warm person and had a special relationship with his radio listeners. He had a stage and radio communication talent that is sadly missed in this day and age.

He made us laugh and knew how to get a serious point across to an audience if necessary.

It is sad to sometimes remember the troubles he had but I shall always remember the laughs.

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Guest Nimrod

Tony would still be around making us laugh if it wer'nt for his problems with the 'demon drink' It ruined his career and turned him into a very bitter man. All the stunts that got him into trouble started off as 'just 'avin a laugh'.

We lost a good'un when we lost Cappo. Radio Sheffield aint been the same without him.

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First came across Tony Capstick at the Greystones Folk Club in the late 60s, I'd gone with my mates to see Whizz Jones, one of the big names on the folk scene at the time, Tony Capstick was on the same bill, don't remember much about the gig, I do remember having a good time though!!

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Like many ‘greats’, in ALL walks of life and over time immemorial -from the sporting world, great footballers  who were also, habitual, troublesome, drunks; from the military ..great wartime leaders who were unattractive bullies, even heroic  winners of gallantry awards including the Victoria Cross.. who also knew the insides of prisons  etc etc, TC had faults…yes some serious but on his ‘flip side’ his talents and skills were of the highest order …..one, notably, his natural  handling of people on and through, radio  was just remarkable…frankly placing  his self -appointed peers and it seems, critics, at best,  ‘in the shade’.
What do we want, World -beating footballers, effective, military formation commanders, great actors, composers, scientists .. who suddenly sprout wings outside there professional lives ….arnt they really just very skilled, brave or otherwise talented HUMAN BEINGS WITH FLAWS  who in the widest sense have brought  great performances / contributions to their contemporary societies?
Human failings and character flaws ..whether we like/acknowledge it or not, inhabit us all to greater or lesser degrees. The same cannot always be said of our positive  contributions to society ….and our fellow men. Plenty amongst us strutting about implying, if not expressing, just how good they are, or have been….are they really, morally any better than those who’ve been in the spotlight serving or entertaining us yet  who we so readily condemn?
“……the evil that men do lives after them ..the good oft interred with their bones”.

 

 

 

 

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