It would have been a sad end for anyone, let alone someone primarily associated with the world of comedy. But on 8 November 2003, the body of actor Bob Grant had been found in his car in Twyning, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Aged 71, he remained most famous for his role as the chirpy clippie Jack Harper in the ITV sitcom On the Buses. Tragically, it soon emerged Grant had taken his own life.
Grant had suffered with bipolar disorder for years. As early as 1987, he had disappeared from his Leicestershire home, during a difficult spell of unemployment which had followed his appearance in a production of Cinderella in Redhill, Surrey. Hi-de-Hi! star Ruth Madoc had been among those launching public appeals for Grant's safe return. Afterwards, he spoke with unusual openness about his experiences.
"For me the worst time was when the panto ended," he recalled. "To have a taste of what work could be like again, then to have that snatched away from me, was awful. All I could see was the empty months ahead, debts building up, no hope. I went into a black depression. I'd sit for hours with my head in my hands. I felt that I was in a black room with no window and no door, and the walls were coming in towards me. I just felt like screaming. I knew I had to get out, get away. I wanted to die, and I decided to top myself."
Eight years later, Grant was rescued from his car in West Sussex after a suicide attempt shortly before he was due on stage. This was eight years before his eventual death in 2003.
Though he would become most famous for playing a cockney, workingclass character, Robert St Clair Grant was a well-spoken, privately educated and classically trained actor. Born in Hammersmith, west London in 1932, he attended Aldenham School and studied at Rada before completing his National Service as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. He made his theatrical debut in the play Worm's Eye View in 1952.
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It's a Lottery
Claire Saul celebrates 30 years of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which supports heritage projects across the United Kingdom
In Memoriam
Michael Foley pays his respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice
Leader of the Pack
Paul Williams examines the history of War Horse
French Fancies
Alain Carraze explains how cult British shows are perceived as the best on television in France
Redheads & Rollers
Simon Stabler talks to Crossroads' Tony Adams
Bringing Memories Back to Life
Richard Haines on the importance of making the most of your vintage photographs
POSTCARD FROM KENT
Bob Barton investigates a network of caves, takes a ride on a thriving heritage railway, and marvels at the beauty of the garden of England
Laughter in the Air
Chris Hallam remembers writer, television presenter and comedian Barry Took
My Good Old Days
Tim Quinn takes us behind the scenes of Leeds City Varieties
The Battersea Bardot
David Barnes remembers the star of Cathy Come Home