Geoffrey Hughes made cheerful idleness and minor dishonesty funny without asking us to despise the people practising them. We value his deadpan timing, though familiar casting often gave him little chance to surprise us.
Fi1m perspective
In Yellow Submarine (1968), Geoffrey Hughes gives Paul McCartney the eager, well-behaved sound of a head boy. The voice is briskly cheerful, a useful distinction in George Dunning’s animated Beatles adventure. We smiled at that slightly officious brightness: this Paul sounds pleased to have been put in charge. It is a neat piece of character work, though the performance has less warmth than Lance Percival’s Old Fred.
His account of the casting explains the precision. Initially sent to do George Harrison, he discussed differences of emphasis in Scouse speech with Dunning and was asked to do Paul instead. John Clive’s nasal John and Paul Angelis’s flatly mumbling Ringo give him clear voices to work beside. The distinctions are easy to hear, which helps when the four credited writers get busy with the puns. We recommend the film for its song sequences, but Hughes gives the passages between them a little more character.
Television then made the rogue his regular employment. Eddie Yeats, the binman and former prisoner in Coronation Street (1974–1983, with a brief return in 1987), was his breakthrough. The part allowed humour and occasional pathos, qualities that could make a recurring nuisance worth having around. Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995) put his deadpan delivery and physical comedy opposite Patricia Routledge’s Hyacinth Bucket. A vest, a beer and somebody uptight to annoy suited him.
The cost was familiar casting. Twiggy in The Royle Family (1998–2008), an ex-con delivering stolen goods, and rogue businessman Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat (2001–2007) kept him close to established territory. We like his company, but would have welcomed more parts that asked something different of him. Start with Yellow Submarine for the unexpectedly tidy voice; Onslow can wait until nobody feels like making an effort.
Biography
Geoffrey Hughes (1944–2012) was an English actor. He voiced Paul McCartney in the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968, credited as Geoff Hughes) and played Twiggy in the television series The Royle Family (1998–2008).
Hughes rose to prominence portraying Eddie Yeats in the soap opera Coronation Street (1974–1983, with a return in 1987). He later played Onslow in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995) and Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat (2001–2005, 2007). He began his career in repertory theatre in Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent, and appeared in West End productions including Maggie May (1964).
His other credits include the film Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) and guest roles in Doctor Who, Casualty and Skins. Hughes was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight and was married to Susan Mundell from 1975 until his death.
