Actor Tony Scannell, who played DS Ted Roach in ITV police drama The Bill, has died at the age of 74.
Born in Cork in 1945, the son of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Tom Scannell, the rising star featured in Flash Gordon in 1980, before starring in more than 230 episodes of The Bill as DS Ted Roach from 1984 until 1993.
He briefly resumed the role in 2000 for two episodes.
In 2016, he featured in With Love From… Suffolk, showcasing the best of the county in eight different, 10-minute stories.
The father-of-three was a frequent supporter of local acting groups, including helping pupils at Hobart High School in Loddon in 2015, with a specially recorded role to be played out before every performance of the school’s musical that year.
The actor also featured in another film shot in East Anglia – The Haunting of Harry Payne – alongside fellow The Bill star Graham Cole.
Taking to Twitter following the news, Mr Cole said: “Very sad news indeed. I worked with Tony on a film, possibly one of his last performances.
“A talented actor and great character. RIP Tony.”
