Remembering Mike Reid

Mike Reid was born in Hackney on 19 January 1940. A proud Londoner, elements of his real life eerily echo in the role for which he'll be remembered. Like EastEnders' Frank Butcher, Mike Reid dabbled in, shall we say, not exactly lawful activities which resulted in a brief stay in prison. He turned his back on crime and worked as a stand-up comedian in clubs and aboard cruise liners in the 1960s.

One of the original stars of The Comedians, this popular TV series of the 1970s featured the likes of Stan "the Geeeeeemans!" Boardman, Roy "it's good, but it's not right" Walker, Frank "it's the way I tell 'em" Carson, Jim "super, smashing, great!" Bowen, Charlie "me old flower" Williams and Bernard "An Englishman, A Scotsman" Manning.

Mike Reid's likeability led to a novelty hit on the charts with The Ugly Duckling which got to No 10 in 1975 and he starred in ITV's absolutely terrible 1970s hit sitcom Yus My Dear alongside Arthur Mullard. His next major move was hosting ITV's popular children's game show Runaround, where he coined catchphrases still fondly remembered today: "G-g-g-g-go!" and "Runaround…now!"

Winning the role of Frank Butcher in 1987 revitalised his career; it also provided EastEnders with one of its most iconic characters. Wheeler and dealer Frank Butcher was beloved for his sheepskin coat and caps, the way he shouted the names of his family ("Paaaaaaaaat!" "Rickeeeeeeeee!"), his frankness ("You're a wave short of an ocean") and his Frank-ness ("Woah, woah, woah, babe!").

Tragedy struck Mike Reid when his son Mark accidentally shot dead his best friend in 1985; five years later he committed suicide by setting himself on fire. A short time afterwards, Mark's daughter Kirsty - Mike's granddaughter - died in her cot aged just six months. Despite personal problems, he continued to act and made his last appearance on EastEnders in December 2005. He went on to appear in Guy Ritchie's gangster movie Snatch before semi-retirement and death in Spain.

Mike Reid 1940-2007

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