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EastEnders actor Timothy West's will revealed – and why his Fawlty Towers star wife Prunella Scales gets less than half
EASTENDERS star Timothy West's will has been revealed after his death last year at the age of 90 — with wife Prunella Scales set to receive less than half of his estate.
West, who was married to Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, appeared on stage, in films and on television in a host of shows including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Brass.
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He died in November last year after suffering a traumatic brain injury three months earlier in a fall on a footpath near his home in Wandsworth, South West London.
His will revealed he left an estate valued at £110,000, and he asked for donations to be made from his estate to charities supporting the arts, actors and the disabled.
The remainder of his estate passes to his wife Prunella, who appeared with him in the hugely popular Great Canal Journeys show on Channel 4 where the couple explored inland waterways in a narrowboat.
Prunella, was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, and she and Timothy often spoke about the difficulties associated with the illness on the TV canal show. Her poor health led to them leave the series in 2019.
The will, which was drawn up in 2020 states £15,000 should be given to the King George V fund for Actors and Actresses, which gives financial help to elderly actors who have fallen on hard times.
Another £10,000 was gifted to the Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust, while £5,000 was donated to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
Southwark Cathedral, near London Bridge, was also given a £10,000 donation from the actor's will as was Medecins Sans Frontieres, a charity that provides medical help to people caught up in wars or natural disasters.
He gave £10,000 to the Snipe Charitable Trust, which helps with arts projects for children and asked for £20,000 to be given to his sister Patricia, who lives in Sheffield.
West was best known for his roles in in EastEnders as Stan Carter, Brass as Bradley Hardacre and Coronation Street as Eric Babbage.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Macbeth twice and King Lear four times.
He was friends with Queen Camilla and attended her wedding to the future King Charles with Prunella in 2005.
Following his death, his children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph released a statement saying: 'After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.
"Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife, Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly."
