At the time of writing, it's almost three months since Geoffrey Perkins, television producer and former BBC Head of Comedy, was killed in a road accident in London. He was only 55. He was responsible for huge number of television and radio shows that have become classics and favourites — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Catherine Tate Show, Father Ted and My Hero are just a few.

Geoffrey Perkins started his working life as a shipping clerk in Liverpool, a far cry from his Oxford comedy performing days and the career he would forge for himself in British television.He left the freight trade in 1976, just a year after he started, and moved into radio at the BBC. There he soon made a name for himself, and helped the late Douglas Adams do the same, with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Perkins produced the seminal radio show.

Other radio productions followed, most notably, Radio Active, and I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue — still broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC7. The enigmatic and totally perplexing spoof parlour game Mornington Crescent was Perkins' hair-brained invention. What a legacy! If only the rules could be understood. Never mind. That's the game's charm.

Geoffrey was a performer and writer as well as producer. He co-wrote and performed in Radio Active on BBC radio. His cool, dry and inept Mike Flex character was a favourite on the show. Geoffrey progressed to television with the BBC, with a TV version of Radio Active — KYTV, broadcast on SBS in Australia in the early 90s.

In 2000, Geoffrey guest starred in One Foot in the Grave, as Nigel Trench, the gay brother of Victor's neighbour Patrick (played by Geoffrey's friend and KYTV co-star Angus Deayton).

Geoffrey worked with independent production companies Thames Television and Hat Trick Productions in the UK before again being snapped up by the BBC. The national broadcaster recognised him as a huge comedy talent and appointed him Head of Comedy in 1995. He held this position until 2001. When he left, the BBC was attempting to change the face of television broadcasting, as well as its attitude to British sitcoms. It seemed that sitcoms were considered too low-brow for the BBC. The outspoken Geoffrey was one of a number of comedy and entertainment executives and producers who left the BBC at that time.

He went to Tiger Aspect, the production company responsible for The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean, and took on the role of comedy executive producer. He remained with Tiger Aspect until his untimely death.

Geoffrey was easy to interview, honest and modest in his answers (Did he not know just how huge his contribution was?) and always bright and amusing. I was one of the lucky people who personally knew Geoffrey and his wicked sense of humour. I interviewed him for my comedy-history book, That's Anarchy, in 2001. It was a hot day in London (yes, that happens occasionally), and he offered me a cool drink. He opened the bar fridge in his office at the BBC, brought out a large bottle of sparkling mineral water and poured two glasses.

I switched on my recorder and commenced asking him questions. He proceeded to burp throughout the entire interview, interspersed with his polite 'pardons' as we chatted. Ater one particularly loud, juicy 'burp' he smiled and said 'Don't put that in your book!' We continued on, trying not to giggle as we talked about the serious subject of making people laugh. Geoffrey had a brilliant comedy mind, but still found room in his sense of humour for the childish and puerile.

Geoffrey Perkins was a comedy natural. As a performer, his delivery and comic timing were impeccable. As a writer, he just knew what made people laugh. As a producer and television executive, he could spot talent instantly. He knew the angles, points of view and messages needed to make a show a hit, and he had plenty of hits under his belt.

He had the comic touch. He could find comedy in the most inappropriate and obscure situation. An example of this is Father Ted. When he was approached by the show's creators, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, he immediately spotted a future hit.

'Who would have known that Father Ted would cut through; a show written by two writers who hadn't written anything before; acted by a cast where the two leads had never acted before; set off the west coast of Ireland whose northern tip had just drifted off into the Atlantic. The most common factor between the most successful shows is that nobody particularly expected them to be successful when they started,' Perkins said in our 2001 interview for That's Anarchy.

Geoffrey always gave his time freely. He was a strong supporter of the UK charity Comic Relief, producing many sketches and comedy specials for their two-yearly BBC television extravaganza. I bumped into Geoffrey at the studio on Red Nose Day 2005. It had been four years since our interview and he greeted me with much affection, wanting to know what I'd been doing, how my book went and was keen to meet my Comic Relief Australia colleagues who were at the BBC with me that night. Geoffrey was an easy man to like, and my fond memories of him and his infectious smile have helped me cope with my grief and this great loss to the world of comedy.

Comedy legend Geoffrey Perkins leaves behind a string of devoted friends and colleagues, a host of comedy fans and a grieving family — his widow Lisa and children Charlotte and Arthur.

Chrissie Gold
Author, That's Anarchy

Image: BBC