TONY CAPSTICKTony Capstick, who died on 23 October, 2003, at the age of 59, was a regular presenter on BBC Radio Sheffield for more than 30 years and much-loved actor of the British small screen.
His many appearances on Coronation Street, Capstick’s Capers and Last of the Summer Wine endeared him to millions but he was also a talented guitarist, whose record ‘Capstick Comes Home’ reached number 3 in the UK charts of spring 1981.
In his later years, he co-wrote a book on the Appleby Horse Fair.
Of the star’s premature death, a BBC spokesperson said: “Generations of BBC Radio Sheffield listeners will remember Tony with warmth, gratitude and affection.”
Joseph Anthony Capstick was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, on 27 July, 1944.
After being educated at Swinton Bridge School, he began his career during the 1960s working for British Rail. He soon took an interest in broadcasting, however, and, in the 1970s, made his debut with BBC Radio Sheffield, fronting a popular phone-in show which he would continue to host for the majority of his professional career.
Meanwhile, he also became a regular performer on the folk circuit, with his 1981 parody of the famous Hovis TV commercials ‘Capstick Comes Home’ reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart.
A TV regular, his acting career too was in full swing by the 1980s. Minor roles in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street and popular medical drama All Creatures Great and Small had made him a familiar face with British TV audiences.
Last of the Summer Wine, a much-loved Yorkshire-based sitcom, became perhaps Mr Capstick’s best known screen role as a policeman who, to great comic effect, regularly witnessed the bizarre antics of local senior residents.
His work as a comedian saw him secure his very own series, ‘Capstick’s Capers’ on Channel 4 also during the 1980s, while 1999’s Focus North, a regional TV news spoof, made sublime use of his talents.
In January 2003, amidst a flurry of speculation, he was fired from Radio Sheffield after a string of drink driving offences had allegedly affected the standards of his show. “Tony’s health problems,” a BBC statement read, “were such that he was unable to work after the New Year.”
The 59-year old broadcaster was later found dead at his home in South Yorkshire on 23 October that year.
An extraordinarily talented performer, Mr Capstick also wrote a regular column in the Rotherham Advertiser. In it, he mused about a variety of subjects.
In 2004 a fund-raising concert was held to finance a permanent memorial to him. A plaque was unveiled a year later at the Swinton Bridge School.
‘Capstick Comes Home’, his 1981 novelty record, was purportedly written on the back of a cigarette packet.
Despite his many appearances in comic roles, he sadly never fulfilled a potential that had Billy Connolly once refer to him as “the funniest man he had ever met.”
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