Bill Maynard

Walter Williams began as a variety performer in the 1950s, under the stage name of Bill Maynard {{snd}} the surname was inspired from seeing a billboard for the popular British confectionery, Maynard's Wine Gums, when he was to do performances for the BBC.On the 15 October 2010 episode of the Alan Titchmarsh Show. Maynard progressed to repertory theatre, touring army camps with Jon Pertwee. Maynard's first television broadcast was on 12 September 1953 on Henry Hall's Face the Music. For much of his career until the 1970s, his work was mostly towards performances: he entered and placed fourth in the British heat of the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest; he worked alongside Terry Scott for the TV series Great Scott – It's Maynard!, after they worked together at Butlins Holiday Camp in Skegness;{{cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/552118/Heartbeat-actor-Bill-Maynard |newspaper=Daily Express|title=Where are they now? Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard |date=17 January 2015 |access-date=9 March 2016}} and he served as part of the news team on the One O'Clock Show for Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle (1959–64). He also served for BBC Radio Leicester during the 1960s, until his departure in 1968.

In 1971, Maynard entered into acting, securing a role on Dennis Potter's television play Paper Roses, which was about the last day in the life of a reporter, and then securing another role for Colin Welland's television play, Kisses at Fifty in 1973. Around the same year, he worked with television actor and comedian Ronnie Barker in the (original) "Football Blues", which aired as "Spanners Eleven", and was part of a series called Seven of One. In 1974, Maynard became a subject of This Is Your Life, when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.{{cite news |url=http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/BIG-INTERVIEW-60-years-Maynard-laugh-critics/story-19801055-detail/story.html |newspaper=Leicester Mercury |title=After 60 years, Bill Maynard has last laugh on his critics |date=16 September 2013 |access-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027090504/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/BIG-INTERVIEW-60-years-Maynard-laugh-critics/story-19801055-detail/story.html |archive-date=27 October 2013 }} Around the same time, Maynard went to work for Yorkshire Television, starring in a pilot episode for a new sitcom. In 1975, he published his autobiography, The Yo-Yo Man, with Leicester's Golden Eagle books.{{cite book|last1=Maynard|first1=Bill|title=The Yo-Yo Man: The Autobiography of Bill Maynard|date=1975|publisher=Golden Eagle Press|location=London|isbn=0901482218}} Also in 1975 he appeared in The Sweeney episode Supersnout in which he played Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Quirk of the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad being the subject of a conspiracy by Joey Stickley, a dirty and weasley informant who attempts to ruin his reputation. After a pilot episode in 1974, Maynard took on the lead role in the sitcom Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt for three series, followed by its sequel Selwyn for one series, between 1976 and 1978. The Selwyn Froggitt role made Maynard a nationwide household name. In 1980, Maynard appeared in three episodes of Worzel Gummidge as Sergeant Beetroot, alongside long-time friend Jon Pertwee.

In 1981, Maynard starred in three series of the ITV sitcom The Gaffer until its conclusion two years later in 1983. In The Gaffer, Maynard played Fred Moffat, a downbeat, cynical and cunning character focused on survival who runs a struggling engineering firm, and who is constantly trying to avoid his creditors, the tax man, the bank manager, trade unionists at his engineering firm, and indeed seeking to avoid anyone who might want him to pay for something. The character of Fred Moffat was in contrast to the high profile, upbeat, good hearted, bumbling, casual labourer Selwyn Froggitt from his earlier sitcom, with the contrasts between the two even going as far as Fred Moffat having a beard and Selwyn Froggitt being clean shaven.

During the 1970s, Maynard secured roles in a number of films: he starred in five of the Carry On films, including Carry On Matron (1972) and Carry On Dick (1974).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7vPDQAAQBAJ&q=bill+maynard+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=RA5-PA1836|title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781526111968}} He starred as Mr. Lea alongside Anthony Booth, Robin Askwith and Doris Hare in all four films in the Confessions series of sex comedies and appeared in the 1976 film It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.

In April 1992, he returned to Yorkshire Television as lovable rogue Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in Heartbeat, a new ITV drama series set in the 1960s. It was a major success, consistently drawing over 10 million viewers.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/niamh-cusack/person/79316/biography.html|title=Niamh Cusack|work=TV.com|access-date=27 May 2015}} Maynard published a new book, Stand Up...And Be Counted, in 1997 with Breedon Books.{{cite book|last1=Maynard|first1=Bill|last2=Sheard|first2=John|title=Stand Up and Be Counted|date=1997|publisher=Breedon Books|location=Derby|isbn=9781859830802}} He remained with Heartbeat until December 2000, when he decided to retire from the programme following a series of strokes. Despite this, he returned to acting in 2002 to reprise his character in spin off series The Royal until 2003. Maynard made a comeback to radio in March of that year on BBC Radio Leicester. His programme Bill of Fare aired every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm for nearly five years, until he was dismissed without notice on 5 February 2008.

In October 2009, he made a return to the stage when he appeared as the main guest of honour at the Pride of Bridlington Awards held in the East Riding of Yorkshire.{{cite news |url=http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/news/local/pride_awards_honoured_caring_and_amazing_people_1_1732792 |title=Local Pride awards honoured 'caring and amazing people' |date=5 November 2009 |work=Bridlington Free Press |access-date=12 January 2011}} By then, his career slowly wound down due to his age and impaired mobility from his strokes, whereupon his final television appearance was made on 14 April 2018 for an episode of Pointless Celebrities; filming took place prior to his death, while the episode aired 15 days after his death.

Maynard was born in Farnham, Surrey, whereupon his family moved north to Leicestershire. He was educated at Kibworth Beauchamp Grammar School. Maynard lived in Sapcote, Leicestershire, during the latter part of his life.

Maynard married Muriel Linnett on 5 November 1949, and they had two children. She died in June 1983. He was a vegetarian. His son is musician Martin Maynard Williams.

Maynard was a supporter of the Labour Party, but in March 1984 he stood against Tony Benn in the by-election at Chesterfield as an Independent Labour candidate, after objecting to the way that Benn became the official Labour Party candidate in a safe seat. Maynard took fourth place in the by-election.{{cite web|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1983.html|title=Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament|last=Boothroyd|first=David|access-date=9 March 2016|website=United Kingdom Election Results|archive-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405203844/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1983.html|url-status=dead}}

On 4 September 1989, Maynard married actress and singer Tonia Bern, the widow of Donald Campbell, at Hinckley Registry Office. They divorced in 1998. Bern died on 14 June 2021.

In later life, having suffered multiple strokes which resulted in a reduction in his mobility, he used a scooter or wheelchair. He died in hospital on 30 March 2018, not long after falling and breaking his hip.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43596854|title=Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard dies at 89|publisher=BBC News|date=30 March 2018|access-date=30 March 2018}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|id=0562732|name=Bill Maynard}}
• {{British Comedy Guide|people|bill_maynard}}
• [http://www.petermarsh.freeuk.com/stockcar/misc.html Bill Maynard's "Stock Car Racing is Magic" lyrics]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070704040148/http://homepages.tesco.net/~autumnview/stockcar/magic.mp3 Bill Maynard's "Stock Car Racing is Magic" recording]
• [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=11394 Bill Maynard] (Aveleyman)

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Category:1928 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:Accidental deaths from falls

Category:Comedians from Leicester

Category:English male comedians

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male soap opera actors

Category:English radio personalities

Category:Independent British political candidates

Category:People from Farnham

Category:Male actors from Leicester