David Webb(1931-2012)
- Actor
David Webb was born in Luton, Bedfordshire in 1931. His father was the
son of a local baker for whom he worked until developing baker's
asthma, after which he worked for a local brewery and then, until
retirement, for the Vauxhall Motors Car Company. David's mother was the
daughter of a local tailor and later hat manufacturer. David trained
for an acting career at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) after
obtaining a scholarship there in 1952. Prior to that he was a pupil at
Luton Grammar School, becoming Head Prefect before leaving in 1950 for
two years' National Service as an instructor in the Royal Army
Educational Corps (RAEC).
After graduating from the RADA in April 1954, David began his career with York Repertory Company for a year and subsequently played with other 'rep' companies at Scarborough and Bromley. He then toured for a year in Emile Littler's musical "Love From Judy" and after did more 'rep' at Richmond and Worthing. Following a highly successful audition for BBC Television, he was summoned by the then Head of Drama, Michael Barry, and consequently launched into television, the medium in which his career has centered ever since, and in which he has made more than 700 appearances, playing a wide variety of roles, and working for all the major programme-producing companies. He was a prominent character in the early days of Coronation Street. Worried about the dangers of typecasting, he soon moved on, and, between the 1960s and the beginning of the present century, made well over 700 appearances in television programmes. These included Upstairs, Downstairs, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Tales of the Unexpected, Doctor Who, and The Avengers. He also found time for the cinema, appearing in, among much else, The Battle of Britain. In a profession which, notoriously, has an unemployment rate of 80 per cent, he was never out of work. He was at one point so committed to television, and so prolific, that he was mocked by some of his RADA friends as a "Telly Tart." His response was a magisterial wave of the arm and the explanation: "On the telly, dear boy, you don't have to get it right first time, and the repeat fees mean you'll never run out of gin." He was right. Even at the time of his death, it was an unusual week on ITV3 when David Webb is not seen and credited in one of its many repeats from the golden age of British television.
As an ardent opponent of censorship, in 1976 David founded the National Campaign for the Reform of the Obscene Publications Acts (NCROPA) and began his long campaign against the prudes and censors of every political and religious complexion. He ran NCROPA in the capacity of Honorary Director ever since. It is a law-reform organization championing the cause of the 'freedom of expression'. At the time the laws against pornography were, in their principle and intent, very clear - it was "No Sex, Please: We're British." Pornography was defined as anything a jury could be convinced had a tendency to "deprave and corrupt." Against this, David stated his own principle to anyone who would listen: "So long as it's by and for consenting adults, nothing should be forbidden."
In June 1983 he stood as an Anti-Censorship/Reform of Obscene Publications Acts candidate against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the constituency of Finchley at the General Election, he is a past member of the Council of the British Actors' Equity Association and a member of both the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association. David has participated in numerous TV and radio debates, interviews and 'phone-ins' on censorship and often contributes articles to various publications and undertaken speaking engagements on the issue.
In private life, David was a grand, convivial character, who loved good company, good food, good drink, and classical music. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early in 2012, and its progress was so rapid that he had no time to stop being the man his friends had all known and loved. He faced his end with the equanimity of a true follower of Epicurus. He died peacefully and in his sleep at Trinity Hospice in Clapham at approximately 5:30pm with his dear friend Penny and goddaughter Nikki by his side. He was 81. His funeral was at Mortlake Crematorium on the 17th July 2012.
After graduating from the RADA in April 1954, David began his career with York Repertory Company for a year and subsequently played with other 'rep' companies at Scarborough and Bromley. He then toured for a year in Emile Littler's musical "Love From Judy" and after did more 'rep' at Richmond and Worthing. Following a highly successful audition for BBC Television, he was summoned by the then Head of Drama, Michael Barry, and consequently launched into television, the medium in which his career has centered ever since, and in which he has made more than 700 appearances, playing a wide variety of roles, and working for all the major programme-producing companies. He was a prominent character in the early days of Coronation Street. Worried about the dangers of typecasting, he soon moved on, and, between the 1960s and the beginning of the present century, made well over 700 appearances in television programmes. These included Upstairs, Downstairs, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Tales of the Unexpected, Doctor Who, and The Avengers. He also found time for the cinema, appearing in, among much else, The Battle of Britain. In a profession which, notoriously, has an unemployment rate of 80 per cent, he was never out of work. He was at one point so committed to television, and so prolific, that he was mocked by some of his RADA friends as a "Telly Tart." His response was a magisterial wave of the arm and the explanation: "On the telly, dear boy, you don't have to get it right first time, and the repeat fees mean you'll never run out of gin." He was right. Even at the time of his death, it was an unusual week on ITV3 when David Webb is not seen and credited in one of its many repeats from the golden age of British television.
As an ardent opponent of censorship, in 1976 David founded the National Campaign for the Reform of the Obscene Publications Acts (NCROPA) and began his long campaign against the prudes and censors of every political and religious complexion. He ran NCROPA in the capacity of Honorary Director ever since. It is a law-reform organization championing the cause of the 'freedom of expression'. At the time the laws against pornography were, in their principle and intent, very clear - it was "No Sex, Please: We're British." Pornography was defined as anything a jury could be convinced had a tendency to "deprave and corrupt." Against this, David stated his own principle to anyone who would listen: "So long as it's by and for consenting adults, nothing should be forbidden."
In June 1983 he stood as an Anti-Censorship/Reform of Obscene Publications Acts candidate against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the constituency of Finchley at the General Election, he is a past member of the Council of the British Actors' Equity Association and a member of both the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association. David has participated in numerous TV and radio debates, interviews and 'phone-ins' on censorship and often contributes articles to various publications and undertaken speaking engagements on the issue.
In private life, David was a grand, convivial character, who loved good company, good food, good drink, and classical music. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early in 2012, and its progress was so rapid that he had no time to stop being the man his friends had all known and loved. He faced his end with the equanimity of a true follower of Epicurus. He died peacefully and in his sleep at Trinity Hospice in Clapham at approximately 5:30pm with his dear friend Penny and goddaughter Nikki by his side. He was 81. His funeral was at Mortlake Crematorium on the 17th July 2012.
