BBC star Barry Fantoni has died at the age of 85, after suffering a heart attack. While best known for his cartoon work with Private Eye, he also hosted the BBC show A Whole Scene Going in 1966.
His work on the show won him Male TV Personality of the Year. The show looked at trends in arts, as well as featuring performances from the likes of The Who and The Kinks.
Barry had also previously written scripts for BBC show That Was The Week That Was in 1962. And decades later he appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk in 2007, though finished in last place with 28 points.
He also appeared on BBC Radio 3 show Private Passions.
(Image: Getty Images)
Barry was a man of many talents, also a writer, artist and jazz musician. He created Neasden FC for Private Eye, with the publication confirming his death.
The publication’s editor Ian Hislop said in tribute: “He was an integral part of Private Eye’s comic writing team from the early days in the sixties and I hugely enjoyed collaborating with him when I joined the magazine later on.
“He created formats and characters and jokes that are still running and he was for a long time the voice of the great poet and obituarist E J Thribb. So farewell then Barry.”
It was confirmed that Barry had died at his home in Turin, Italy on May 20.
Barry grew up in the East End of London, going on to study at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. It was there that he formed a jazz group, film society and drama group, however he was later expelled.
In his early 20s, he joined Private Eye, appearing in well over 1,000 issues until he retired in 2010.
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
