Richard Thorp obit

Richard Thorp: Actor best known as reformed character Alan Turner in 'Emmerdale'

 

He was not on the list.

When Richard Thorp joined Emmerdale Farm in 1982 as Alan Turner, manager of NY Estates, he quickly gained an onscreen reputation as a boozer and womaniser. Off screen the actor found himself treated on a par with "nasty" JR Ewing of Dallas, taxi drivers refused to pick him up and he once managed to empty a tea room in Harrogate simply by walking in. Nine years later, the Yorkshire soap opera's baddie had mellowed and become the genial landlord of The Woolpack pub – and a bit of a buffoon. The serial itself changed, too, when its title was shortened to Emmerdale and the stories become more raunchy.

Thorp was the programme's longest-serving actor, recently celebrating 31 years in it. He once told me over a generous slap-up restaurant meal that the money and job security enabled him to dine out regularly. "I've always loved my food and enjoyed good wine," he said. In the process, Thorp ballooned to more than 18 stone.

His character's dramas included a failed attempt to reunite with his estranged wife, a broken engagement with his secretary, Caroline Bates (Diana Davies), and a marriage to a former prostitute, Shirley Foster (Rachel Davies), that ended in tragedy when she was shot dead in a post office raid.

Alan sought a quieter life after suffering a mild heart attack in 1999, selling the pub and later running The Grange B&B. But there was further drama when his daughter Steph, played by Lorraine Chase, arrived under the pretence of seeking reconciliation after a 20-year absence, then tried to kill him.

Six years ago Alan resolved to retire and live a quieter life at Keepers Cottage with his friend Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbrook). His storylines became fewer as Thorp's own health deteriorated. In 2009, the actor had a knee-replacement operation and bemoaned the following year: "I'm more like the village memorial now than an active character."

An earlier generation would recall Thorp from 1959 to '61 in the popular hospital drama Emergency – Ward 10 as the suave heart-throb Dr John Rennie, who romanced Sister Carole Young (Jill Browne). The producer told him he could have the part if he lost weight within six weeks. "I lived on black coffee and fizzy water," Thorp told me. "I was so dizzy I kept bumping into things, but I got the role." Thorp's character was catapulted to his own series, Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961-62), giving him a new life as a GP in a country practice, and another spin-off, 24-Hour Call (1963).

Born in Surrey, Thorp had childhood ambitions to act but started working life writing advertising copy for his father's shoe business, Lily & Skinner, including the line "Men's shoes that men choose". At the same time he performed in amateur dramatics, and being sacked by his father for frequent bad time-keeping enabled him to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

After theatre work, Thorp's big break came in the Second World War RAF film drama The Dam Busters (1955) when he was cast because of his resemblance to Squadron Leader Henry Maudslay, who died in the real-life raid on Germany. In the same year he played Barbara Lyon's boyfriend, Derek, in the first television series of Life with the Lyons (he was previously in the BBC radio version). The sitcom starred an American family headed by the showbusiness husband-and-wife team Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels.

Thorp also played John Caldwell, the ship's second officer, in another sitcom, All Aboard (1958-59). Then, while in Emergency – Ward 10, he met the actress Maureen Moore, who played Nurse White, and she became his first wife in 1960.

His other films included The Barretts of Wimpole Street and The Good Companions (both 1956) and in the early 1960s, between acting jobs, he ran a wine business. But television soon became Thorp's most regular source of work. Apart from one-off roles in drama series such as Danger Man (1961) and The Avengers (1963) and the sitcoms And Mother Makes Three (1973) and To the Manor Born (1981), he acted the market inspector, Martin Pruner, in the ITV serial Market on Honey Lane (1967), with the title shortened to Honey Lane for the second series (1969).

He returned to soap as Vera Downend's Merchant Navy sailor boyfriend, Doug Randall (on and off, 1973-75), in Crossroads, leaving after complaining about the pay. In the final series of The Cedar Tree (1978), a 1930s period drama, he played Geoffrey Cartland. Though he appeared in the West End in Murder at the Vicarage (as the vicar, Fortune Theatre, 1977) and Moving (Queen's Theatre, 1980-81), Thorp rarely took theatre work. "I don't like doing the same thing night after night," he said. "I have the most appalling stage fright. I get sick."

Apart from good food and fine wine, Thorp's great love was motorcycles and for many years he rode on one to the Emmerdale studios. He was the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide 1340cc – "the sort of thing they escort American presidents with," he said. Thorp, who suffered a heart attack in 1994, was married and divorced three times, lastly to Noola Delany, a floor and location manager in films and television.

Actor

Emmerdale Farm (1972)

Emmerdale Farm

4.9

TV Series

Alan Turner

1981–2013

2170 episodes

 

The Woolpackers: Emmerdance (1996)

The Woolpackers: Emmerdance

Video

Alan Turner

1996

 

The Brief (1984)

The Brief

8.2

TV Series

Judge Advocate

1984

1 episode

 

Dennis Blanch, Don Henderson, Mark McManus, Fiona Mollison, John Ronane, and Frances Tomelty in Strangers (1978)

Strangers

7.5

TV Series

Det. Sgt. Jacklin

1982

1 episode

 

Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born (1979)

To the Manor Born

7.4

TV Series

Lovejoy

1981

1 episode

 

Susan Engel, Philip Latham, Jennifer Lonsdale, and Susan Valentine in The Cedar Tree (1976)

The Cedar Tree

7.5

TV Series

Geoffrey Cartland

1978

5 episodes

 

Noele Gordon in Crossroads (1964)

Crossroads

4.4

TV Series

Doug Randall

1975

1 episode

 

Omnibus (1967)

Omnibus

7.2

TV Series

SImon

1973

1 episode

 

Liza Goddard, Nerys Hughes, Joanna Lumley, Bill Maynard, Patrick Mower, Jon Pertwee, Magnus Pyke, Victor Spinetti, and Mollie Sugden in Whodunnit? (1972)

Whodunnit?

7.9

TV Series

Gerald Thompson

1973

1 episode

 

...And Mother Makes Three (1971)

...And Mother Makes Three

7.3

TV Series

Stanley Marsh

1973

2 episodes

 

Alfred Burke in Public Eye (1965)

Public Eye

8.5

TV Series

Mr. Gordon

1973

1 episode

 

Harry Worth in Thirty Minutes Worth (1972)

Thirty Minutes Worth

7.0

TV Series

1972

1 episode

 

Suburban Wives (1972)

Suburban Wives

5.0

Charles

Sarah's husband (as Richard Thorpe)

1972

 

A Family at War (1970)

A Family at War

7.7

TV Series

Derek Robbins

1971

2 episodes

 

Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield in Timeslip (1970)

Timeslip

7.8

TV Series

George Pointer

1971

1 episode

 

John Bennett in Market in Honey Lane (1967)

Market in Honey Lane

6.8

TV Series

Martin Pruner

1969

1 episode

 

Richard Beckinsale, Freddie Fletcher, Arthur Lowe, Jack Rosenthal, and Paula Wilcox in ITV Playhouse (1967)

ITV Playhouse

7.3

TV Series

Willy Terhune

1968

1 episode

 

Barbara Jefford and Hayward B. Morse in Trapped (1967)

Trapped

TV Series

Family Doctor

1967

1 episode

 

Watch the Birdies

TV Mini Series

Pembridge

1966

4 episodes

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.7

TV Series

Edgar Anthony

Alfred

Freddie Honeychurch

1958–1965

3 episodes

 

No Hiding Place (1959)

No Hiding Place

7.5

TV Series

Kenneth Massey (as Richard Thorpe)

1965

1 episode

 

Donald Pleasence and Betsy Blair in Love Story (1963)

Love Story

7.1

TV Series

Dan Moore

1964

1 episode

 

Michael Denison in Boyd Q.C. (1956)

Boyd Q.C.

7.7

TV Series

Tom Dunnett

1963

1 episode

 

Bitter Harvest (1963)

Bitter Harvest

6.2

Rex

1963

 

Earl Cameron, Lee Grant, and Fred Sadoff in The Respectful Prostitute (1964)

Festival

7.1

TV Series

Fred

1963

1 episode

 

Maupassant (1963)

Maupassant

9.2

TV Series

Bardon

1963

1 episode

 

Brian Aherne, Cornel Wilde, and Jean Wallace in Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Sword of Lancelot

5.7

Sir Gareth

1963

 

The Avengers (1961)

The Avengers

8.3

TV Series

Jack Roberts

1963

1 episode

 

24-Hour Call

TV Series

Doctor John Rennie

1963

 

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959)

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre

7.7

TV Series

John Durran

1962

1 episode

 

Michael Craig and Anne Helm in The Swingin' Maiden (1962)

The Swingin' Maiden

6.4

Harry Markham

1962

 

Mystery Submarine (1962)

Mystery Submarine

6.7

Lt. Chatterton

1962

 

Call Oxbridge 2000

TV Series

Dr. John Rennie

1961

9 episodes

 

Emergency-Ward 10 (1957)

Emergency-Ward 10

6.2

TV Series

Dr. John Rennie

1959–1961

98 episodes

 

Patrick McGoohan in Danger Man (1960)

Danger Man

7.9

TV Series

Bobby

1960

1 episode

 

The Four Just Men (1959)

The Four Just Men

7.1

TV Series

Officer

1960

1 episode

 

The Last Train (1960)

The Last Train

6.9

Short

Sergeant Hall

1960

 

Patrick Allen and Thomas Mitchell in Glencannon (1959)

Glencannon

8.0

TV Series

George

1959

1 episode

 

All Aboard

7.6

TV Series

John Caldwell, 2nd officer

1959

1 episode

 

Girls at Sea (1958)

Girls at Sea

6.1

Officer with Telescope (uncredited)

1958

 

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950)

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre

7.1

TV Series

Arthur Townsend

1958

1 episode

 

Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955)

The Adventures of Robin Hood

7.6

TV Series

Sir Humphrey

1958

1 episode

 

Hour of Mystery (1957)

Hour of Mystery

TV Series

David Bradshaw (as Richard Thorpe)

1957

1 episode

 

Overseas Press Club - Exclusive! (1957)

Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!

6.9

TV Series

Sgt. James Cross

1957

1 episode

 

Paradise Lagoon (1957)

Paradise Lagoon

7.1

Footman (uncredited)

1957

 

There's Always a Thursday (1957)

There's Always a Thursday

6.2

Dennis Potter

1957

 

The Good Companions (1957)

The Good Companions

5.6

David

1957

 

The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957)

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

6.4

Alfred

1957

 

It's Never Too Late (1956)

It's Never Too Late

6.0

Party Guest (uncredited)

1956

 

Who Done It? (1956)

Who Done It?

5.7

Police Officer in Patrol Car (uncredited)

1956

 

London Playhouse

8.0

TV Series

Paul

1955

1 episode

 

Life with the Lyons

7.2

TV Series

1955

2 episodes

 

The Dam Busters (1955)

The Dam Busters

7.4

Squadron Leader H. E. Maudslay, D.F.C.

1955

 

Melody in the Dark (1949)

Melody in the Dark

5.0

Dick

1949

 

Self

Return to Crossroads

Video

Self

2012

 

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in This Morning (1988)

This Morning

4.4

TV Series

Self

2005

1 episode

 

Terry Wogan in Blankety Blank (1978)

Blankety Blank

6.3

TV Series

Self

2001

1 episode

 

Michael Aspel in This Is Your Life (1955)

This Is Your Life

6.5

TV Series

Self

1985–1997

4 episodes

 

Barry Cryer in Cryer's Crackers (1994)

Cryer's Crackers

TV Series

Self - Guest

1995

1 episode

 

Whale On (1993)

Whale On

TV Series

Self

1993

1 episode

 

The James Whale Radio Show (1988)

The James Whale Radio Show

6.4

TV Series

Self (uncredited)

1992

2 episodes

 

Noel's House Party (1991)

Noel's House Party

6.3

TV Series

Self

1992

1 episode