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  1. Oh man, that is sad sad news. In my head he was nowhere near 72, but I guess time marches on.

    Going to have to screen Nuns On The Run in tribute over the weekend. Bleak times.

  2. A brillIant career and I’m sad to see him go. I haven’t seen much of the Harry Potter films but I know his Hagrid character was much-loved and I’m sure my kids will be sad about this news too.

    • I’m sure he did the “Bernard Righton” character on one of those shows – and then a while later John Thompson was doing it.

      Basically a old-school northern comic who is fair-minded and loves his mother in law.

      • Some Soviet broadcaster on “Eighties”:

        “Now I will tell you a political joke – Michael Heseltine. Haa haa haa!”

        That show also gave us the mighty Kevin Turvey.

        Fuck, he’s gone as well!

  4. There’s a risk of this sounding like damning with faint praise, but it’s meant to be the opposite.

    I happened to watch some of the old Comic Strips recently, and Robbie Coltrane is often in them in supporting and quite varied roles, but he played them with such energy that I remembered them all very clearly. He was also a wig maker in an episode of Minder which I also saw again recently. I remembered it, but was surprised how short his scene was – only a few minutes. It was well written and the other actors were good as well, but his performance had really stuck in my mind. An actor who would dominate the screen, not in a scene stealing way, but by his skill and charisma.

  5. Just saw this. Absolutely gobsmacked.

    Only finished rewatching Cracker –
    surely his defining role – a couple of months ago
    (All eps On YT and well worth rewatching)

    He was also terrific in National Treasure.
    a few years back.

    RIP Big Man

  6. Robbie walking down the Sea Wall in Comic Strip’s Supergrass.
    The Safety boat refused to go out, but Robbie went for a walk anyway (backed by Frankie Goes To Hollywood)

  7. Very sad news.

    A really excellent career, never anything less than top quality work in parts from large to small, and someone from whom I still wanted to see more in the future.

    As @Jaygee rightly says, RIP Big Man.

  10. I’ll always smile when I think of Robbie playing Charles Bronson playing Ken Livingstone in the Comic Strip classic. And some lass trying her hand at vocals as well, it seems…

  11. Five Go Mad in Dorset was my introduction to Robbie and I think it may have actually been his first TV appearance. I still quote him from that episode, “…lots of strange comings and goings…”

    Not many actors I can pinpoint exactly when I first saw them.

    I also quote that episode in other ways, “I’d better go and get myself nicked then.”
    Not to mention”Blah blah blah, secret conspiracy, blah blah blah it’s all connected” which trivia fans is where Iggy Pop got the title of his 80’s album, “Blah Blah Blah”

  12. ITV did a Robbie Coltrane Special in about 1988, trying to make him into a mainstream light entertainer. It didn’t work, but there was some good stuff in the show like a St Trininans pastiche and a biography of a fading rock star. This clip starts with a band one or two Afterworders might have been to see..

    Warning : features the talented half of Raw Sex.

  14. Well! I never knew until I read his obit that his real name was McMillan – I coulda been related to him!

    As most of you will know, Fitterstoke is actually my first name…I am, in fact, Fitterstoke Parmahansa MacMhaolain, Laird o’ Knapdale and Ru’glen…

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