A Tribute to Roger Lloyd Pack

Just bung those in the kitchen for me, if you would.

Right-oh...!

CRASH! AUDIENCE LAUGHS

Roger Lloyd-Pack died recently, aged 69.

He was a dear friend and colleague,

who was really loved by those of us who knew him.

He was also genuinely loved by millions of people

who admired his work.

Charming and brilliant, passionate about left-wing causes

and with ambition to play King Lear,

he was nothing like the dim-witted street sweeper, Trigger,

he played in Only Fools And Horses.

But he was absolutely wonderful as Trigger as well,

and proud of it.

This is a tribute to the great man.

Roger Lloyd-Pack was born in Islington, North London, in 1944,

the son of the actor Charles Lloyd-Pack.

Going into what he referred to as the family business,

Rog studied at RADA, and one of his earliest appearances

was in this - he was very, very young.

-MAN SPEAKS WITH RUSSIAN ACCENT:

-In the year 1913,

we had new neighbours.

Her name was...Lily.

He quickly got a reputation as a fine character actor,

and mixed work on stage

with a succession of small parts on television,

in programmes like these...

You won't get rid of me.

I'll get back - you'll see.

I'll get back.

It's my wife. She's left me.

And I think she's living with a man on the other side of the street.

Oh! And you want to watch her?

Does this really work?

Well, you must know what you're getting into.

It's hard,

bruising graft.

I'm not claiming miracles, but, yes, it does work.

Then along came Roger's breakthrough, in 1981,

when he was cast as Colin "Trigger" Ball

in Only Fools And Horses.

Initially intended as just a supporting character,

Trigger was so funny and so popular and so perfectly acted,

that he eventually appeared in almost every episode

of the long-running series, which is consistently voted

as the most popular sitcom in the history of British TV.

Ah, there he is. Oi, Trigger! You know my brother, don't you, hey?

Yeah, 'course I do. How're you going, Dave?

Sorry I'm late, Del Boy, I had to pop round me sister's

to arrange an alibi for next Thursday.

-Joycey...!

-Del, Del...

-Mmm!

-What?

-Why do they call him Trigger - does he carry a gun?

No! It's cos he looks like a horse.

LAUGHTER

He was a regular at the Nag's Head pub,

and an old friend of Del Boy,

and...absolutely not the cleverest person in the world!

How d'you walk into a Mind Your Head sign - didn't you see it?

Well, of course I saw it!

But in those days, I couldn't read.

LAUGHTER

Good-natured but slow on the uptake,

Trigger famously referred to Rodney as Dave -

always, just always.

Year after year.

And it never got any less funny.

All right, Dave?

LAUGHTER

All right, Del? Dave?

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please raise your glasses

to our future mum and dad, Cassandra and Rodney!

-ALL:

-Cassandra and Rodney!

Dave. >

LAUGHTER

Trig - why d'you call me Dave?

My name's not Dave.

My name's Rodney.

-I thought it was Dave?

-It's Rodney.

You sure?

Yeah, I'm positive.

Rog was an amazing man to work with,

an incredibly skilled comedian

made great by the fact that he was a really remarkable actor.

This is a very famous clip, but it does perfectly illustrate

the skill of Roger's timing and reactions.

As someone who worked with him, I know his sense of comedy was...

well, flawless.

I think we're on a winner here, Trig, all right?

Play it nice and cool, son. Nice and cool, you know what I mean?

Rog called his role in Only Fools both a blessing and a curse,

and was rather puzzled about his popularity with audiences.

But beloved he was,

and he did it all over again when we were lucky enough

to get him to agree to be in The Vicar Of Dibley,

in which he played Owen Newitt,

the farmer and parish councillor with the earthy manner,

a curious love for his animals,

and a hatred for any kind of personal hygiene.

I spend so much time in the stable's toilet,

I'm thinking of sending out 'change of address' cards.

Owen was often late for parish council meetings.

Sorry I'm late, a sheep exploded.

Nasty business.

-Would you like a quick recap?

-Well, make it quick -

the buggers are popping like champagne corks out there.

Famous for his love of swearing...

-Bugger.

-You...

-Your chance to ring in with your memories of Dibley...

-Bugger.

Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger!

And he also proved himself to be one of TV's great romantic heroes.

Oh, well, the joy of those first kisses, eh, Owen?

Well, I wouldn't know. I've never had a proper kiss.

Oh, haven't you?

Except for Daisy, and she was a cow, so that doesn't count, does it?

What, you kissed one of your cows?

No, the gamekeeper's daughter. A right cow, she was.

Oh, go on, then, you great big loser. Give us a quick kiss.

-Here goes!

-Right.

I have such incredibly happy memories of working with Roger.

He was always sweet, always gentle, always funny,

often giggled,

and was always willing to push things just a little bit too far.

He was comically pitch-perfect, utterly reliable.

A kind of genius, really, in this strange, strange role,

giving the show class, and even a bit of edge and outrage.

The more outrageous it got, the more truthful it weirdly became.

Best news I've had since they made having sex with animals legal again.

They haven't.

Really?

Oh. That's not good.

Whilst he was making the whole of the UK laugh on TV,

Roger was also a hugely successful stage actor,

receiving critical acclaim for many of his performances,

in particular in plays by Harold Pinter.

All we have left are the bombs which polish the skulls of the dead.

And, more recently, as the Duke of Buckingham

in Richard III at The Globe.

And he didn't just limit himself to two shows on telly.

Why didn't you do something?

-There was nothing that could be done.

-There's always something.

Drugs, electric shocks, something!

Not in this case. Have you been drinking?

What if I have?

Kill him!

HE GROANS

Meanwhile, throughout all the years of acting,

Roger supported not only Spurs but also the Labour Party,

and was politically active

for the causes he felt most passionately about.

They say they're going to make money through selling off buildings

and they can make services better for people like you.

Well, I don't feel that's so.

If you're going to cut the beds by half

and get rid of half the nursing staff,

I don't see how that is making things better.

He was a really lovely, complicated, interesting man.

I feel so lucky to have been able to spend time with him,

watch him being a great comic actor,

and know him as a man of great charm and integrity.

He'll never be forgotten by those who knew him,

and, of course, he'll never be forgotten

by everyone in the UK with a sense of humour and a TV set.

Right...Owen.

A-And, erm...you've come to audition for...?

The King.

Of course, there were three kings and you are obviously one of them.

That's right.

And there could be no finer tribute to Roger than this next programme.

So, sit back and enjoy this classic episode of Only Fools And Horses.