Tommy Cooper's unexpected death on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre on 15th April, 1984 remains one of the saddest and most surreal moments in UK comedy history.
Known for his slapstick humour and botched magic tricks, family favourite Cooper collapsed mid-act due to a massive heart attack.
The audience, initially assuming it was part of his act, roared with laughter as he lay on the stage emitting what sounded like snoring. Despite the frantic efforts of production staff and paramedics backstage, Cooper was pronounced dead on arrival at Westminster Hospital.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Cooper’s health concerns had been widely known within the industry before this incident; reveal how a live TV audience of millions got to grips with the news that the comedy icon had died; and take a look back at some of the other star performers who have, quite literally, died on stage…
Further Reading:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Show_Won_t_Go_On/6h-SDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tommy+cooper+her+majesty%27s&printsec=frontcover
Love the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!
Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.
Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!
We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
There's Something About Mary
Morecambe, Wise & Mr Preview
Joyce Brothers, $64,000 Swot
The Potato-Porting Polymath
Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madam
There's Poison In My Pint
Football's First International
Concorde - The Future of Flight
Signal-Jamming Aliens
Elizabeth of Russia's Bloodless Coup
The Lucy Fossil - No Homo
The Tamagotchi Effect
Star Trek's Interracial Kiss
London's First Olympics
William Tell's Apple Adventures
On This Day: The Last Sultan
When Space Mountain Saved EuroDisney
The (Lady) Pirates of the Carribbean
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze
Alice Chaucer, Three Times A Wife
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Stuff You Should Know
Dark Histories
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
The Rest Is History