This Morning star feels guilty for death of two TV legends – admits ‘I killed a man’

This Morning regular Gyles Brandreth admitted he feels guilty for the death of two beloved comedians Rod Hull and Harry Secombe.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Hull became a staple fixture on UK screens joined with his sidekick emu – a mute and highly aggressive arm-length puppet modelled on the Australian bird. But in 1999 at the age of 63, the comic died in a freak accident after falling from the roof of his home while trying to fix his television aerial.

After he fell from the ladder, the star was taken to hospital with a severe skull fracture and chest injuries before he was pronounced dead. Following a lengthy inquest, the coroner concluded he died of accidental death.

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Now, more than 25 years later, royal expert Gyles, 76, admitted he feels somewhat responsible for the comic’s unfortunate passing. Speaking on the latest episode of his Rosebud podcast, the former MP explained how he encouraged his friend to scale his roof of his bungalow the night he fell.

He confessed: “I killed a man – it was Rod Hull, the emu man. We were at the theatre; we were at the first night of Animal Crackers – it was a show about the Marx brothers. Terrible, terrible weather that night.

“And he was sitting next to me, and he was complaining all through the show – was interrupting the show almost – going on about how he wanted to get home because he wanted to watch the football, but his Sky aerial wasn’t transmitting properly.

“And I said, ‘Don’t moan about it, if you want to watch the television get a ladder out, climb on the roof and fix it, Rod’. And after the show, in this stormy weather, he went home, he got a ladder out, he climbed up the ladder and he tried to fix the aerial,” he recalled.

“Unfortunately the wind was very great and he fell backwards off the ladder and killed himself. So, I wasn’t actually there, but I encouraged him.”

Gyles made sure to attend the comic’s funeral later that month and went on to share some of the quirky things he included in his final performance. He explained how Rod wanted his famous pupped to be part of his funeral in a unique way.

The TV presenter went on: “It was a great funeral though because at his funeral the coffin came in, and as the coffin was being carried in, it was sort of [constant tapping sound]. He’d arranged a beak sound to be inside the coffin as though the emu was also in the coffin.”

The comic was known for his mischievous puppet act, which famously attacked Michael Parkinson on his talk show. Once dubbed ‘Britain’s naughtiest bird’ the pair caused crotch-poking mayhem on TV for decades.

But this isn’t the only comic Glyes feels responsible for killing, as he later admitted he played a role in the death of Welsh comedian Harry Secombe. The former MP claimed he “killed” the Goons funnyman after speaking to him moments before he fell down the stairs of his Guildford home back in 2001.

Brandreth recalled how the comedian was unable to come onto his LBC radio show because he “wasn’t feeling well” and so Gyles interviewed him over the phone instead. After their conversation, Harry “stepped back to call his wife and slipped backwards down the stars”.

He sadly died of cancer in hospital just days later. He told listeners: “I also killed Harry Secombe. He died unexpectedly, unfortunately.

“He very kindly, he wasn’t feeling well, and I was doing a programme for LBC in the late 1990s or just the beginning of the 21st century. And he went ahead with the interview. He had to do it by phone, he couldn’t come into the studio.

“He was standing at the top of the stairs and the interview went well, and he was holding the phone saying, ‘I’ve finished doing the interview with Gyles now – it went surprisingly well’.

“And he’d stepped back to call down to his wife, and he slipped backwards down the stairs. I’m afraid a few days later he died.” Sir Harry was loved by millions for his pioneering brilliance on his radio programme, The Goon Show.

He retired from showbusiness in 1999 after a lifetime of comedy, song and charity work which earned him a knighthood in 1981. Sir Harry battled ill health for many years before his passing.

In his final years, he had suffered from diabetes and prostate cancer before his death in 2001. This Morning airs on weekdays from 10.30am on ITV1 or catch up for ITVX.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk