'Mesmerising' star of Boys from the Blackstuff, Bernard Hill, dies aged 79

Bernard Hill, the stage, television and film actor who rose to fame for his unforgettable portrayal of Yosser Hughes, has died at the age of 79.

- Mark Brown

Hill played the seminal character with the famous "gizza job" catchphrase in Alan Bleasdale's 1982 BBC series Boys from the Blackstuff. It helped launch a stellar career that included playing the captain of the Titanic in James Cameron's 1997 film, and Théoden, king of Rohan, in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Hill's agent Lou Coulson said the actor died in the early hours of Sunday.

One of the first to pay tribute on Sunday was the singer Barbara Dickson who worked with Hill in Willy Russell's 1974 stage musical John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert.

Dickson said on X: "A really marvellous actor. It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x." Hill played John Lennon in the musical, one of a number of Merseyside characters that the Manchester-born actor became famous for portraying.

None more so than Yosser Hughes, a jobless, desperate father of three who became an emblem of everything that was wrong in Thatcher's Britain. The character would pester and hector people saying: "Gizza job. Go on. Gizza job. I could do that," and when he wasn't head-butting people he was banging his own head against the wall, literally and metaphorically.