Bob Goody Obituary – Death: Classically Trained Actor And Co-Writer Of BBC Comedy ‘Wilderness Road’ Died At 71, Cause Of Death
Bob Goody, a veteran British actor of both stage and screen and co-writer of the 1985 BBC1 comedy Wilderness Road, passed away at the age of 71 on March 5 after a long battle with cancer, which he documented in a book of verse. Born in Brighton in 1951, Goody trained at RADA and became known for his charismatic performances and poetry. In the 1980s, he co-wrote and fronted his own ITV children’s sketch show, Smith & Goody, with writer and comedian Mel Smith, before teaming up with Richard Cottan to create Wilderness Road, a sitcom set in a seedy London pub.
Goody’s television acting credits include appearances in Bleak House, EastEnders, Lovejoy, the Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels TV spinoff Lock Stock… and Queens of Mystery, while his film roles include The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover, Mr Turner and Peterloo, and The Borrowers, among others. He also toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was part of Patrick Barlow’s National Theatre of Brent.
Cottan, his writing partner, described Goody as “outgoing, warm, ineffably generous” and “a natural performer,” adding that he was an unforgettable presence on both stage and screen. As a writer, Goody penned a series of two-man comedy theater shows, one of which won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, and was an original member of theater company Shared Experience, where he performed a one-man show, The Insomniac In Morgue Drawer Nine, in 1982.
In addition to his career in entertainment, Goody also wrote the libretto for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein opera The Fashion in 2008 and published a book of verse entitled War and Paracetamol, which chronicled his life and his battle with illness. Cottan remarked that these verses are in many ways Goody’s true artistic legacy.
Goody is survived by his wife Gina, brother Dave, daughters Gemma, Seonaid, and Sophie, and four grandchildren.
