Latest news with #PrunellaScales
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Actor Timothy West died in care home after fall, inquest told
The actor Timothy West died at a care home where he was receiving palliative care following a fall, an inquest has heard. West, who was married to actress Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, starred in TV shows such as comedy-drama Brass, sitcom Not Going Out and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. His family announced last November he had died aged 90 with his friends and family around him, some of whom attended a hearing into his death at Westminster Coroner's Court on Thursday via video-link. Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley said: 'Timothy West had an unwitnessed fall near his home on 11 August 2024 which resulted in a significant traumatic brain injury. 'It is not possible to determine how the fall happened and there is no evidence of others being involved. 'He was treated in hospital for around three months before being discharged to a care home on November 5 2024 for palliative care. 'Unfortunately he was not well enough to be discharged to his home despite receiving appropriate care in the care home. He died on November 12 2024.' West had been living at Wandsworth Common Care Home in the days leading up to his death. The home's general manager, Thomas Holden, said in a statement read out at Thursday's inquest: 'On November 12 his family were with him all day. They continued to stay with him in his room during the evening and he passed away peacefully with his family around him at 19:20.' In a statement announcing his death last year, West's children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph said: '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 great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.' West and Scales, 92, who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, appeared in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys between 2014 and 2021, which saw them travelling on narrow-boats. The couple married in 1963 and had two sons, Samuel and Joseph. West was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet. In Brass the Bradford-born actor played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990, while in Not Going Out he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton. He appeared as Eric Babbage in seven episodes of Coronation Street in 2013, and in EastEnders he played Stan Carter from 2014 to 2015. His film roles included Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973), King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Nazi physician and war criminal Karl Gebhardt in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973). On stage, he was a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing King Lear in 2016 and 2003. In 1984, West was appointed a CBE for his services to drama in the late Queen's Birthday Honours List. Before acting, West attended the John Lyon School and Bristol Grammar School, and worked as an office furniture salesman and a recording technician before becoming an assistant stage manager at Wimbledon Theatre in 1956.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Actor Timothy West 'died peacefully' after hospital stay
Actor Timothy West died "peacefully with his family around him" at a care home where he was being looked after following a fall, an inquest has who was married to actress Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, appeared in TV sitcoms Not Going Out, dramas such as Bleak House and Gentleman Jack, and soaps Coronation Street and Coroner's Court heard the Bradford-born actor had had a fall on 11 August last year, which resulted in a "significant traumatic brain injury".Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley said he had been treated in hospital for about three months before being moved to Wandsworth Common Care Home where he was receiving palliative care before his death on 12 November. She said: "It is not possible to determine how the fall happened and there is no evidence of others being involved."Unfortunately he was not well enough to be discharged to his home despite receiving appropriate care in the care home."The care home's general manager, Thomas Holden, said in a statement read out at the inquest: "On 12 November his family were with him all day."They continued to stay with him in his room during the evening and he passed away peacefully with his family around him at 19:20."In a statement announcing his death last year, West's children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph said: "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."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." West and Scales, 92, who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, appeared in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys between 2014 and 2021, which saw them travelling on couple married in 1963 and had two sons, Samuel and was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Timothy West had serious fall before death at 90, inquest reveals
Actor Timothy West died peacefully at age 90 in a care home, an inquest has revealed. His death followed a three-month hospital stay due to a fall near his home in August 2024. The inquest revealed his cause of death as a subdural haematoma and extra-axial haemorrhage (bleeding within the skull) resulting from the fall. West had a long and distinguished acting career, starring in shows like Brass, Not Going Out, Coronation Street, and EastEnders. He was married to actress Prunella Scales for 61 years and is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Actor Timothy West's cause of death revealed at inquest
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Timothy West died ‘peacefully' at care home after three-month hospital stay
Actor Timothy West died 'peacefully with his family around him' at a care home where he was receiving palliative care after a three-month stay in hospital following a fall, an inquest has heard. West, who was married to actress Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, starred in TV shows such as comedy drama Brass, sitcom Not Going Out and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. His family announced last November that he had died aged 90 with his friends and family around him, some of whom attended a hearing into his death at Westminster Coroner's Court on Thursday by videolink. Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley said: 'Timothy West had an unwitnessed fall near his home on 11 August 2024 which resulted in a significant traumatic brain injury. 'It is not possible to determine how the fall happened and there is no evidence of others being involved. 'He was treated in hospital for around three months before being discharged to a care home on 5 November 2024 for palliative care. 'Unfortunately he was not well enough to be discharged to his home despite receiving appropriate care in the care home. 'He died on 12 November 2024.' The coroner addressed the family and close friends who viewed proceedings online at the conclusion of the inquest, telling them: 'I would like to end by passing on my sincerest condolences to Mr West's family and friends for this tragic loss of their loved one.' West had been living at Wandsworth Common Care Home in the days leading up to his death. The home's general manager, Thomas Holden, said in a statement read out at Thursday's inquest: 'On 12 November his family were with him all day. 'They continued to stay with him in his room during the evening and he passed away peacefully with his family around him at 19:20.' Mr Holden said West was admitted with a view to trying to rehabilitate him enough so that he could go home 'as he wished to spend his last days there' but that there was a 'slow decline' in his health over the days he resided there. West was admitted to hospital in August last year after a fall near his home. Members of the public came across him unconscious on a footpath near Wandsworth Common, the inquest heard, and an ambulance crew attended and took him to St George's Hospital in Tooting after a neurological assessment. He remained in hospital for around three months during which time the actor's loved ones eventually decided to prioritise his 'comfort and dignity' and arranged for him to be discharged to the private care home. The medical cause of death was given as a subdural haematoma and extra-axial haemorrhage, with a traumatic brain injury and non-convulsive status epilepticus, aspiration pneumonia and hypertension as contributing factors. In a statement announcing his death last year, West's children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph said: '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.' West and Scales, 92, who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, appeared in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys between 2014 and 2021, which saw them travelling on narrowboats. The couple married in 1963 and had two sons, Samuel and Joseph. West was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet. In Brass the Bradford-born actor played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990, while in Not Going Out he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton. He appeared as Eric Babbage in seven episodes of Coronation Street in 2013, and in EastEnders he played Stan Carter from 2014 to 2015. His film roles included Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973), King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Nazi physician and war criminal Karl Gebhardt in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973). On stage, he was a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2016 and 2002. In 1984, West was appointed a CBE for his services to drama in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Before acting, West attended the John Lyon School and Bristol Grammar School, and worked as an office furniture salesman and a recording technician before becoming an assistant stage manager at Wimbledon Theatre in 1956.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders legend and husband of Fawlty Towers star Timothy West ‘died months after suffering fall at home'
EASTENDERS legend Timothy West died months after he suffered a fall at the family home, an inquest heard. The actor, who was married to Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, also had roles in Coronation Street and Brass. 6 6 6 West died aged 90 on November 12 last year while receiving palliative care at Wandsworth Common Care Home. An inquest heard he had suffered a fall at home in August that year that left him with a significant traumatic brain injury. West was treated in hospital for three months before he was moved to the care home on November 5. The home's general manager, Thomas Holden, told the court: "On 12 November his family were with him all day. "They continued to stay with him in his room during the evening and he passed away peacefully with his family around him at 19:20." The inquest was told no one witnessed West's fall so it was "not possible to determine" how it happened and if others were involved. Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley said: "He was treated in hospital for around three months before being discharged to a care home on 5 November 2024 for palliative care. "Unfortunately he was not well enough to be discharged to his home despite receiving appropriate care in the care home. "He died on 12 November 2024." West was best known for his roles in Coronation Street as Eric Babbage and in EastEnders as Stan Carter. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Macbeth twice and King Lear four times. Timothy was friends with Queen Camilla and attended her wedding to the future King Charles with Prunella in 2005. His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West announced his death last year, 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." Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia, a form of the disease caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, in 2014. The couple then filmed Great Canal Journeys, a Channel 4 series celebrating their love of narrow boating. Timothy described her condition in his memoir Pru and Me. He revealed he had consulted the couple's GP about her memory a year before her diagnosis - but had been told not to worry. Speaking to the BBC soon after the couple's diamond wedding anniversary in 2023, he said: "Somehow we have coped with it and Pru doesn't really think about it." In 1984, West was appointed a CBE for his services to drama in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. 6 6 6
