The wife of the late performer Roy Hudd has launched a campaign to raise funds for a permanent memorial outside of one of his favorite theaters.
The actor, who resided near Stowmarket, Suffolk, passed away in March 2020 at the age of 83.
Due to the epidemic, his wife Debbie was unable to hold a memorial service, so she came up with the idea for a statue in Bury St. Edmunds.
She stated,
“I don’t want to put Roy on a pedestal because he would abhor that as a man of the people.”
“Therefore, he will hopefully be seated on a bench outside the Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds.”
There was a theater that he adored. Sean Hedges-Quinn, a sculptor based in Suffolk, will produce the statue for approximately £100,000.
When he inaugurated Hudd’s sculpture of his friend, music hall actress Gracie Fields, in Rochdale, he met the artist.
Hedges-Quinn has also sculpted statues of Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Robson, and Kevin Beattie for Ipswich Town Football Club, as well as Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army in Thetford, Norfolk.
Hudd, who was an expert on the history of music halls, had a fruitful career spanning more than six decades.
He first entertained guests as a Redcoat at Butlin’s before moving on to the theater, television, and radio.
The actor was well-known for his long-running BBC Radio 2 program The News Huddlines and his role as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth in Coronation Street.
He also starred in Call the Midwife, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, and Benidorm towards the end of his career.
Mrs. Hudd remarked,
“He enjoyed working in radio, but he also wanted to perform Shakespeare, Max Miller, and old-time music hall.”
“That kept everything fresh for him, and he worked with a variety of age groups; he especially enjoyed acting in pantomime with children.
He believed that laughter was the best sound in the world, along with applause.
On 14 May 2023, a fundraiser for the News Huddlines with Alison Steadman and John Culshaw will be placed at the Sondheim Theatre in London.
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