Rainbow’s Geoffrey Hayes dies at 76
GEOFFREY HAYES, the host of iconic kids’ show Rainbow, has died at the age of 76.
The actor and TV presenter’s manager, Phil Dale, said in a statement: ‘It is with great sadness that the family announce that Geoffrey passed away from pneumonia in hospital with his wife, Sarah, and son, Tom, by his side.
He added: ‘The family would like to express their thanks to the many fans over the years as it always gave Geoffrey so much pleasure to know that he and his Rainbow team had given so much fun to TV and theatre audiences over the years.’
Geoffrey, who appeared on the trippy 1970s-80s show — usually trying to keep the peace between cuddly puppets George, Bungle and the argumentative Zippy — was also also known for his portrayal of Detective Constable Scatliff in the successful TV series Z Cars for the BBC.
But in latter years it was reported that he struggled to find work and spent time stacking shelves in a supermarket before becoming a taxi driver.
Nevertheless, Hayes will be remembered as an important part of the childhood’s of many who watched Rainbow, which aired from 1974 until 1992.
Indeed, he recently revealed he still got recognised for the iconic role.
‘It’s so humbling, even now, all these years later, somebody occasionally stops me in the street or the supermarket and talks about Rainbow. We loved doing it; I certainly did. Twenty years of happiness, it really was,’ he said.
In 2002, Hayes said the secret to the programme’s enduring popularity was that it was full of ‘magic, innocence and imagination’.
He said: ‘Practically all the time people come up to me and it really breaks me up because they thank me for being part of their childhood. It makes me want to cry sometimes.’
Latterly, Hayes featured in Peter Kay’s Comic Relief hit Is This The Way To Amarillo, and more recently he appeared on programmes including Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Celebrity Pointless alongside Tiswas presenter Sally James.
Author: Metro Reporter
