Sebastian Stride obit

Sebastian Stride obituary

 

He was not on the list.

My friend Sebastian Stride, who has died of lung cancer aged 65, was for many years the heart and soul of the amateur music pub scene in Richmond upon Thames, south-west London. A singer and guitarist, he hosted open-mic sessions in pubs around the borough of Richmond, inviting anyone to sing, play an instrument or recite poems.

Seb was born in Calcutta. His father, David, was a BBC employee in India, his mother, Conchita Guaglione, a Brazilian-born Italian artist who had works exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Seb went to a nursery school in Calcutta, where he was once taught by Mother Teresa, before his family returned to the UK and he went to school in Fulham, London.

Good-looking and with a cheeky grin, Seb left school to become an actor, settled in Richmond upon Thames and once appeared in a rep performance at the Richmond theatre in which Laurence Olivier starred. He went on to have roles in TV series including Doctor Who, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Citadel. His partner Cathy Bryant told me: “He actually received a small royalty cheque the week before he died, but sadly I was unable to tell him about it. He would have been chuffed.”

He was best known as open-mic music host in the Watermans Arms, an old-fashioned pub 50 yards from the River Thames named after the boatmen who used to drink there. Last orders would lead to wee hours’ jam sessions at homes like mine, close to the pub.

The warm welcome he provided at the Watermans led to him hosting similar sessions at the local Duke’s Head, the Mitre, the Triple Crown and the Angel & Crown, always encouraging nervous youngsters or even oldsters to play and often accompanying them.

He would open his sessions with one of his own favourites, often Billy Swan’s I Can Help, whose lyrics summed up Seb’s philosophy: “If you’ve got a problem, I don’t care what it is, If you need a hand, I can assure you of this, I can help … ” And right up until Covid closed the pubs down, he would often close with a ray of cautious hope through Michael Nesmith’s Rio: “I probably won’t fly down to Rio, but then again, I just might.” Seb was also a decent songwriter, best known for his London Years.

He is survived by Cathy, his children Sylvia and Nicolas, from previous relationships, and two grandchildren.

 

Actor

The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

Cadogan West

1988

1 episode

 

The Citadel (1983)

The Citadel

8.2

TV Mini Series

Policeman

1983

1 episode

 

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who

8.4

TV Series

Crewman

1979

2 episodes