Visit the official Doctor Who website

Visit the official Doctor Who website
Look to the future

Asylum seekers...

Asylum seekers...
Refuge of the Daleks

Doctor Who picture resource

Doctor Who picture resource
Roam the space lanes!

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website
Step back in time

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood
Armed and extremely dangerous

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures
Fearless in the face of adversity

Call on Dani’s House

Call on Dani’s House
Harmer’s a charmer

Intercept the UFO fabsite

Intercept the UFO fabsite
Defending the Earth against alien invaders!

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse
Programmable agent Echo exposed!

Hell’s belles

Hell’s belles
Naughty but nice

Love Exposure

Love Exposure
Flash photography!

Primeval portal

Primeval portal
Dressed to kill or damsels in distress?

Charmed, to be sure!

Charmed, to be sure!
The witches of San Francisco

Take on t.A.T.u.

Take on t.A.T.u.
All the way from Moscow

Proceed to the Luther website

Proceed to the Luther website
John and Jenny discuss their next move

DCI Banks is on the case

DCI Banks is on the case
You can bet on it!

On The Grid with Spooks

On The Grid with Spooks
Secret agents of Section D

Bridge to Hustle

Bridge to Hustle
Shady characters

Life on Ashes To Ashes

Life on Ashes To Ashes
Coppers with a chequered past

Claire’s no Exile

Claire’s no Exile
Goose steps

Vexed is back on the beat!

Vexed is back on the beat!
Mismatched DI Armstrong and bright fast-tracker Georgina Dixon

Medium, both super and natural

Medium, both super and natural
Open the door to your dreams

Who’s that girl? (350-picture Slideshow)

Thursday 12 April 2007

In Remembrance


I’m saddened to report the death of actor George Sewell, who passed away on Sunday, 1st April, aged 82. To most science fiction fans, he’ll be best remembered as Colonel Alec Freeman in Gerry Anderson’s “UFO”. It’s less than two years since the world lost his acting colleagues on that series, Ed Bishop who played Commander Ed Straker and Michael Billington who appeared as Colonel Paul Foster, so now all three leads of the classic show are no longer with us. George appeared in the first seventeen of the twenty-six episodes that comprise “UFO”. The reason he didn’t complete the series was the closure of MGM’s British Studios. This caused a hiatus in production during which he naturally moved on to other projects.

George first came to Gerry Anderson’s notice when he appeared as the tough EUROSEC security chief Mark Neuman in Anderson’s late-Sixties’ live-action science fiction feature “Doppelgänger”, aka “Journey to the Far Side of the Sun”. But, in the movie world, he will undoubtedly be best remembered for his notable part as Con McCarty, opposite Michael Caine, in Mike Hodges’ cult thriller “Get Carter”.

“Doctor Who” fans will remember George for his terrific portrayal of the misguided Ratcliffe in the 1988 Sylvester McCoy serial “Remembrance of the Daleks”. Those of you with ITV3 may well have caught Mr Sewell’s episode of “Rising Damp”, “The Prowler”, with dear old Leonard Rossiter, during one of its many repeats! George also appeared in the superior 1985 version of “Bleak House”, as Rouncewell, alongside Denholm Elliott and Diana Rigg. The general public will perhaps best remember him, though, for his starring role as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Craven in Euston Films’ “Special Branch” series. A fine actor.

5 comments:

KarenSi said...

That is sad!

I love UFO and have it all on DVD. It was one of those series that my parents got me into just by buying one video which i would watch over and over again. I liked his character in the show. he seemed to be the voice of reason for both Straker and Foster.

I also remember him in "Remembrance of the Daleks" which is my favourite McCoy serial.

doppelganger said...

In the UFO pilot that guy had the best line EVER:

Whilst piloting a jet, he sourly mutters: "This cloud gives as much cover as a g-string on a belly dancer"

One of the best in a sea of classicly bad dialogue - my brother and I have quoted it drunkenly to each other for over twenty years now.

Nearly as funny as Straker with his irate "I have to work hard pretending to be a film executive" speech - which always puts me in mind of the python 'yer mother's 'ad 'ard day attending business luncheons' sketch...

TimeWarden said...

“Remembrance of the Daleks” is one of my favourite McCoy serials too, Karen.

Which is your favourite episode of “UFO”, with or without Alec Freeman? Mine, as I may have mentioned before, is “The Psychobombs”.

Karen said...

I don't actually know which UFO is my favourite. Will have to watch them again to find out.

Andrew Glazebrook said...

RIP George !!