'Truly amazing' children's TV icon died after battling cancer
An adored star of children's TV in the 1980s and 1990s died following a battle with cancer.
Carol Lee Scott was best known for appearing in the ITV show Emu's World in the 1980s. Alongside the iconic puppet and handler duo of Rod Hull and Emu, she played Grotbags, a green witch in a flowing cape.
The character clumsily attempted to exert her magical powers over children, while keeping her minion Croc under control by hitting him with her bazazzer, a parasol-shaped wand topped with a pointing finger.
Her career launched after moving from Somerset, where she was born in 1942, to London, where she worked in a music shop by day and sang in pubs by night, the Mirror reports.
She then worked as an entertainer at Pontins holiday resort for 19 years, at the same time performing at working men's clubs. She first met Rod Hull in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire one summer, after he had been commissioned to come up with a new TV programme.
Her iconic character first appeared on Emu's World in 1982, with the show remaining on air for several series runs. In 1991, she gave her voice to the animated spin-off Rod 'n' Emu, before starring in her own self-titled show and Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show.
Tragically, she died following a cancer battle on July 4, 2017, at the age of 74.
Her niece Gina Mear announced the sad news on social media, writing: "My dear aunty Carol passed away yesterday, RIP #Grotbags, I will miss you."
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She also shared images of Carol done up in her Grotbags make-up, and another holding a baby. The post prompted several tributes from fans.
One wrote: "Carol Ann Lee was truly amazing as #Grotbags just the right amount of scary for young children,"
Another commented: "I'm so sorry for your loss. Grotbags was a fantastic part of my childhood. She was my favourite part of The Pink Windmill."
A third said: "Sad to hear the passing of Carol Lee Scott who played #Grotbags on TV. Genuinely scary/entertaining to the young me. A great actress. RIP."
Figures from the entertainment industry also gave their condolences, including comedian Rufus Hound, who shared: "Very sorry for your loss. An icon for folk of my generation. Thank you for her."
The late Rod Hull tragically died aged just 63 in 1999, after falling from a roof while adjusting his TV aerial. He would have turned 90 next week, on August 13.
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