THE HAT SQUAD - "REMEMBERING" KEITH BARRON

From the Euro Weekly News:
British TV star Keith Barron has died, aged 83, after a short illness. [November 15, 2017]

Barron’s agent confirmed the news in a statement which read, “He had a long and varied career." 

“He is survived by his wife Mary to whom he was married for 58 years and his son, Jamie, also an actor.”

Barron made regular appearances on British TV since the 1960s with roles in 'Coronation Street', 'Duty Free', 'Doctor Who', 'Z Cars',  'Casualty' and 'Where the Heart Is'.

He also guest-starred in the hit ITV comedy series 'Benidorm' in 2009.

His most memorable role came as a leading man in the 1980s sitcom 'Duty Free', where he starred as Yorkshireman David Pearce.
(Kari Smallman)

Barron also played Dennis Potter's altar-ego Nigel Barton in two of his TV plays and almost made it into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame for his character of Detective Sgt. John Swift.  Swift came on board 'The Odd Man' in the last couple of seasons and then was spun off to 'It's Dark Outside'.  But unfortunately he never got the chance to play Sgt. Swift in any other series to get that third requirement for TVXOHOF induction.  (As much as I like John Fraser and was happy to see him all too briefly in the London-based 'Columbo' episode "Dagger of the Mind", I would have traded him in for a chance to see Barron bring Sgt. Swift into the investigation.  As long as Swift was a copper in London, of course.)

Far too few of the TV shows produced over in the UK ever made it here to the United States unless they could fit into the sometimes snobbish showcases like 'Masterpiece Theatre' and even in 'Mystery!'.  So I don't think there was ever a chance I was going to see any of these other long-running roles of Mr. Barron:

• 'Duty Free'
• 'Coronation Street'
• 'The Good Guys'
• 'Haggard'
• 'DCI Banks'
• 'Holby City'
• 'Doctors'
• 'Dead Man Weds'
• 'The Chase'
• 'Where The Heart Is'
• 'NCS Manhunt'
• 'Take Me'
• 'All Night Long'
• 'Leaving'
• 'Room At The Bottom'
• 'The Adventures of Lucky Jim'

But here's the sad thing (for me): I have seen him in plenty of one-shot roles, mostly in crime dramas imported from the UK:

• 
  'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes' (The one true Holmes for the main Toobworld!)
• 'Pie In The Sky'
• 'New Tricks'
• 'Hustle'
• 'Law & Order: UK'
• 'Foyle's War'
• 'Hetty Wainthrop Investigates'
• 'Dalziel and Pascoe'
•  'The New Avengers'

And yet, of those, the only one I remember him in is the episode he did of 'Midsomer Murders'.  But there are two reasons for that: I did see it recently again, and - let's face it - the murders on that show have become memorable.

I'm surprised I can't remember Mr. Barron in the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Last Vampyre"!  I remember the story well enough; I'm a big fan of the Holmes canon.  But as to its dramatization.....  Yeah, I have to watch the box set again.

Along with those light mysteries, I can't remember seeing him in his one-shot roles in 'Upstairs, Downstairs' and 'My Family', either.

The one role that does stand out in my memory was that of Captain Striker the Eternal in the 'Doctor Who' episode "Enlightenment".  One day I have to delve further into the Eternals in the grand mosaic of Toobworld.  Could there be a connection to the Prophets of the wormholes or the Q Coninuum?

For more on his career, click here.

I will have to go back and revisit those episodes of 'New Tricks', 'Pie In The Sky', 'Hustle' and especially the 'Sherlock Holmes' adventure.  I'm thinking I need to familiarize myself with more of Mr. Barron's contributions to Toobworld.

BCnU!