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Barry Evans-Popular Bisexual sitcom actor of the 1970s with handsome, boyish face had a tragic abbreviated life

I was watching an episode of the popular 70's British comedy series, "Doctor in the House" on-line and was reminded how sexy and appealing the actor playing the lead in it was.

I looked him up on-line and was quite surprised to hear about his sad personal life and tragic death. He never married and had no children. According to his bio, the Daily Mail published an article revealing his bisexuality after his death.For a long time he had supposedly had a crush on actor/director Lionel Blair.

It also said after he stopped being offered parts as he got older,so he ended up becoming a taxi driver.In 1997, he died alone in a dilapidated bungalow at the age of 52.The death was ruled to be caused by alcohol poisoning but initially an eighteen year old boy he had befriended was accused of his murder.

Anybody know more about this former tv star?

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by Anonymousreply 53March 1, 2018 3:33 PM

He starred as Jeremy Brown, in the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language (1977-79), which was about a night school instructor attempting to teach immigrants English.

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by Anonymousreply 1July 9, 2010 2:27 AM

Surely, Mrs Patrick Campbell entertained him. Maybe she'll bestir herself and chime in.

by Anonymousreply 2July 9, 2010 2:36 AM

Doctor in The House is a good series. It was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese who went on to write and perform in Monty Python. The plot revolved around the trials of medical students at St Swithin's hospital in London. Barry Evan's played Michael Upton, an easy-going, serious and somewhat anxious son of a doctor who is essentially following in his father's footsteps. At link is an episode of it entitled Peace and Quiet that originally aired in 1969.In it, Evan's character decides he can't take the loud noise where he is currently living and looks elsewhere for accommodation. At one point(2min 15 sec in on part 2 clip of this episode), he goes to a place that had advertised in the paper as having shared accommodation for young men interested in companionship. A very flamboyant, obviously gay man answers the door and proceeds to tell Michael how much he'd enjoy having him move in.

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by Anonymousreply 3July 9, 2010 2:43 AM

The Daily Mail article that outed him.

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by Anonymousreply 4July 9, 2010 9:16 PM

His ass shot in Adventures of a Taxi Driver.

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by Anonymousreply 5July 9, 2010 9:22 PM

What's a bisexual sitcom?

by Anonymousreply 6July 9, 2010 9:27 PM

He had a crush on Lionel fucking Blair?%0D That is wrong for so many reasons.

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by Anonymousreply 7July 9, 2010 9:35 PM

He was a crush of mine (and he did a nude shot as well) in that terrific 1967 British comedy 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" ... it seems there was something odd about his death, there may have been a young hustler involved whom he had befriended /// I will have to see what the Daily Mail feature says ...

by Anonymousreply 8July 9, 2010 11:29 PM

r8, how far into "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" is the nude scene? You tube has the movie available to watch.

Does anyone know if it is a good enough movie to sit through the whole thing?I can't find any in-depth reviews of it except that it is noted at link as being part of a British Mod Cinema wave from 1967-70.

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by Anonymousreply 9July 10, 2010 2:19 AM

Barry was a g8 actor his eyes were the sexy and so beautiful . He was so handsome in doctor inthe house.

by Anonymousreply 10April 8, 2011 12:05 AM

no way he is bisexual... i just saw his mind yur language Nd hez a very talentef actor and very smart gentke handsome guy!!!!

by Anonymousreply 11November 10, 2013 6:16 PM

Poor Barry. If he'd only worn slip-on shoes...

by Anonymousreply 12November 11, 2013 1:40 AM

I wonder what he looked like in later life?

by Anonymousreply 13November 11, 2013 1:45 AM

Though this post was started 4 years ago, Reply 2 is very interesting, if in fact it seriously pertains to the actor, Barry Joseph Evans (18 June 1943 – 9 February 1997). Quote - "Surely, Mrs Patrick Campbell entertained him. Maybe she'll bestir herself and chime in". Considering the unusual circumstances surrounding Barry Evans death, with initial reports pointing to a blow to his head, this reply seems very personal whilst cryptic. I am sure there are friends, agents or acquantances of Barrys that might have a good idea as to who or what that reply might specifically refer to. There are other aspects of Barry Evans' life which are equally interesting, his being abandoned at birth, why? who was his mother/father? Why did he end up living in the quaint little village Claybrooke Magna? Apparently, and I quote "the love of his life had been a woman whose husband was in jail for murder". Someone, somewhere, knows something!

by Anonymousreply 14February 11, 2014 12:14 PM

James L

by Anonymousreply 15August 24, 2014 1:57 AM

I was sad when I heard about his shortened life.

by Anonymousreply 16August 24, 2014 4:08 PM

[quote]Does anyone know if it is a good enough movie to sit through the whole thing?

Well, it has some EXCELLENT additional dialogue.

by Anonymousreply 17August 24, 2014 4:12 PM

I looked up Claybrooke Magna. What's a "freehold"? And what's an "upward chain"?

This house must be owned by gays. It has a rainbow backsplash.

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by Anonymousreply 18August 24, 2014 4:28 PM

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (1967) is an adorable film...if you like British '60s films.

Funnily enough I created that pic at OP's link, years ago. It was a screen grab from the film and it went all over the internets.

Here's another pic, not created by me, but it does show something of the sweet '60s innocence of the film.

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by Anonymousreply 19August 24, 2014 4:34 PM

& here's the other pic I created. This time with his groovy smile.

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by Anonymousreply 20August 24, 2014 4:37 PM

He is SO my type. But I never heard of him before today.

by Anonymousreply 21August 24, 2014 4:38 PM

The start of his life was as sad as the ending:-

[quote]Born in Guildford, Surrey, and abandoned as a baby, Evans was educated at the orphanage boarding schools run by the Shaftesbury Homes.

by Anonymousreply 22August 24, 2014 4:41 PM

& the sad ending:-

[quote]By the late 1980s, his youthful image was working against him, and he found it difficult to obtain mature acting roles in line with his age. His last role was as Bazzard in the film adaptation of The Mystery of Drood in 1993. By the late 1990s, he was a minicab driver in Leicestershire, where in 1997 he was found dead aged 53 in his bungalow. The police discovered the actor's body after going to his house to tell him they had recovered his stolen car.The cause of his death has never been confirmed. The Coroner found a blow to Evans' head and an 18-year-old man was arrested but later released without charge. The Coroner also found high levels of alcohol in his system which suggested suicide or accidental death. An open verdict was eventually given.

by Anonymousreply 23August 24, 2014 4:45 PM

This is so sad. I used to watch Doctor in the House and thought it was hysterically funny. I wonder how it holds up.

by Anonymousreply 24August 25, 2014 12:11 AM

It's on YouTube r24 -- silly niceness.

by Anonymousreply 25August 25, 2014 2:51 AM

JL, It is time you told your story...

by Anonymousreply 26October 29, 2014 12:05 AM

J seen your posts on other sites, come on now, tell the truth...

by Anonymousreply 27October 29, 2014 12:17 AM

Sad.

by Anonymousreply 28October 30, 2014 12:29 PM

[quote]Reply 2 is very interesting, if in fact it seriously pertains to the actor ... I am sure there are friends, agents or acquantances of Barrys that might have a good idea as to who or what that reply might specifically refer to.

Not really, R14. "Mrs Patrick Campbell" is the fake internet name of an old background beefcake extra in a few D-list movies in the 1980s. He later went on to sell his wares, if you will, claiming to have bedded many hot famous or semi-famous men. That's all R2 was referring to, and he wasn't serious; no one takes MPC's claims very seriously, except MPC.

by Anonymousreply 29October 30, 2014 12:42 PM

C'est la vie

by Anonymousreply 30April 7, 2015 2:45 PM

Still sad...

by Anonymousreply 31April 8, 2015 3:17 AM

life's sad as well , buddy .

by Anonymousreply 32April 11, 2015 4:02 PM

[quote]I looked him up on-line and was quite surprised to hear about his sad personal life and tragic death. He never married and had no children.

How sad! Everyone has to be married and have children!

by Anonymousreply 33April 11, 2015 4:04 PM

really ? ? ? ? ? ?

by Anonymousreply 34April 11, 2015 4:07 PM

Whatever is or isn't, James knows the truth

by Anonymousreply 35May 6, 2015 11:55 PM

About time the Leicestershire police reopened this case

by Anonymousreply 36May 7, 2015 12:14 AM

Is this James Leadbitter posting on other sites as hinted by R27? If so, what is he saying?

by Anonymousreply 37May 7, 2015 12:19 AM

Yes it is, I am sure the truth will come out one day

by Anonymousreply 38May 7, 2015 12:37 AM

Seems others on other sites feel the same, the case should be re-opened!

by Anonymousreply 39May 25, 2015 12:01 AM

Got interested because of this thread -, found link that gives you all the clues to put together what really happened

Someone who unusually killed himself drinking a massive amount of alcohol without mixing pills with it, leaving a will beside him instead of a suicide note, hitting himself on the head and cutting his own landline

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by Anonymousreply 40May 29, 2015 2:37 AM

r21

Golly gee, maybe he'll take you to the prom if they fix up his smashed in head

by Anonymousreply 41December 28, 2017 2:29 PM

I like that show when I was a kid but I have completely forgotten about it, except the title and that it was English. I will have to look up some old clips.

by Anonymousreply 42December 28, 2017 3:03 PM

There was a full frontal shot of him in Adventures of a Taxi Driver.

by Anonymousreply 43December 28, 2017 3:33 PM

Who'd want to see a full frontal of that?

by Anonymousreply 44December 28, 2017 3:40 PM

Mr Evans was at the top of his profession 20 years ago. His boyish good looks endearing him to millions as the naive Dr Michael Upton and as the long-suffering English teacher Jeremy Brown.

In the Sixites he appeared as a sex-obsessed schoolboy in the cult farce Here we go Round the Mulberry Bush.

He never married but his name was linked to numerous glamorous stars of the day, including his film co-star Jackie Gleason.

by Anonymousreply 45January 22, 2018 5:11 PM

Jackie Gleason, R45?! Uh, might you mean Judy Geeson?

by Anonymousreply 46January 22, 2018 5:15 PM

There's a "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" fangurl/gay Facebook group.

I'm a member!

Please join me!

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by Anonymousreply 47January 22, 2018 8:52 PM

Fab pix like this >>

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by Anonymousreply 48January 22, 2018 8:53 PM

This is included on Wikipedia about his death:

“There was also a short written will found on a table next to his body and a spilt packet of aspirin (bearing a pre-decimalisation price tag indicating that the pack was at least 26 years old) was found on the floor, although the Coroner concluded that he had not taken any of these.”

by Anonymousreply 49January 24, 2018 4:10 AM

He looks like the kind of person who would die,

by Anonymousreply 50January 24, 2018 4:25 AM

We found him to be a most agreeable young gentleman.

by Anonymousreply 51January 24, 2018 8:54 AM

Blimey, this thread is 7 years old.

by Anonymousreply 52January 24, 2018 9:05 AM

[quote]Doctor in The House is a good series.

All the "Doctor" series (there were quite a few of them not all had Evans in them) were extremely uneven. Some episodes quite goods others made me quit watching for a year.

by Anonymousreply 53March 1, 2018 3:33 PM
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