John Sessions has died

[Alberon]

I can't see it anywhere else but The Telegraph is reporting that John Sessions died yesterday from a heart attack at the age of 67. The news has apparently been confirmed by his agent.

It's not too much of a surprise if anyone has seen him recently.

[the]

Blimey :o

I last saw him at a Stella Street event about 5 years ago, and he'd put on a lot of weight at that point.

I've been rewatching Stella Street recently too, it's one of the finest character comedy shows ever in my view.

He had a bit of stature as the resident cleverclogs arseache on the first couple of TV series of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but boy did he have range, amazing impressionist and improviser. RIP.

[imitationleather]

Damn. Stella Street will always be special to me.

[Rizla]

Oh shit. Only a few weeks ago we were chatting Stella Street/Phil Cornwell here. Possibly my favourite TV show ever, although I used to find him a bit insufferable on Whose Line he was majestic as Keith, Dirk, Rickman.

Mrs Hugget's actually dead, for real. Fuck.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Now being reported on the BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54797823 - It is very sad news, as others have said, he was superb in Stella Street and it's a terrible shame he died so relatively young.

[Ham Bap]

Gutted at this. Stella Street was special to me too.
Was 17 when it first came on TV. Loved it. (Was it a Friday night it was on?)

Been watching clips here and there the past few months.

RIP.

[studpuppet]

'You mulch fuck!' is still an insult I throw out when I want to bemuse people.

If you want to make a pilgrimage, Stella Street was actually Hartswood Road near Stamford Brook tube station in West London, with Mick & Keef's shop in either Rylett Crescent or Rylett Road (can't remember which). When I passed through a few years ago, the screwholes for some of the house name plaques were still there. The shop's been converted to residential now.

Edit: Rylett Road - the window's completely changed: https://goo.gl/maps/QeLBUQGo9mGjHwki6

[damien]

He did impressions once on the Steve Wright In The Afternoon show, circa '89/'90  that were flatly the best celebrity impressions i'd ever heard. Michael Hordern and Edward Fox and such, just hilariously accurate and fantastic. The Wright 'zoo' team (Richard Easter et al) were in genuine hysterics throughout, you could always tell when they found something properly funny and when they were just faking it a bit, and this was the real stuff. One of the truly great childhood radio comedy moments. He was always great value on QI in his later years. RIP.

[Shit Good Nose]

Big fan of Stella Street and he was a good actor so RIP/no age (genuinely no age in this case) and all that, but he drove me up the wall whenever he was on a TV show (like QI) as himself as he always completely took over and other guests couldn't get a word in or he'd interrupt and not let them finish cos he had a better luvvier story. 

A few years ago someone on here said they went to a taping of a show he was on (I can't remember which one) with some other half-decent guests, but it basically ended up being a 2 hour John Sessions Session and the other guests may as well not have bothered turning up.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Another Stella Street fan, here. I've no idea what Sessions would make of it being his enduring legacy (if indeed it truly is, in the wider world) but I shall always remember it with great fondness. It was one of the first bits of pop culture my best friend and I bonded over.

[The Mollusk]

John Session's Timed Out

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

Always liked him. The only man I ever saw do an impression of Anthony Burgess.

[Rizla]

Another Stella Street fan, here. I've no idea what Sessions would make of it being his enduring legacy (if indeed it truly is, in the wider world)

I'd imagine all three of the creators would be incredibly proud of it, it's a truly unique creation that runs on its own mental internal logic. Sometimes you get a peep into the creative process, especially the interviews to camera when they come close to corpsing (Mrs Hugget confessing that she was never ill, Mick musing over Bowie's lack of shopkeeping experience), and it really seems like it was great fun to make and highly creatively rewarding. I just love it so much, I could watch it on a loop forever. It's televisual Beatles to me (and the Beatles are in it, multiple times).

"Your mother, Joey - she's sleepwalking naked down freeways, she's so worried about you"

[Gulftastic]

Whose Flatline Is It Anyway?


RIP. He was terrific in that Dad's Army thing a couple of years back.

[the]

A programme that I don't have much fondness for is Grumpy Old Men, which (although throwing up some amusing and poignant observations) veers horribly into 'complacent rich people complaining' territory, and fosters that kind of withering bored 'whatever next' British smell of being hard-done-by that gets clowns elected instead of statespeople.

HOWEVER, in its first series it was a tiny bit more credible, and one of John Sessions' contributions to it struck me as being quite daring at the time, which was his esteem of then-PM Tony Blair:

      https://youtu.be/AvNuTWPPtTo?t=1060

I'm obviously going to stop short of saying 'you couldn't say that these days', but I think it's fair to say that the authorities take a much dimmer view of throwing those kind of comments around now. I seem to remember him making similar comments about Bush too. Despite possible traces of snobbery, I admired the neck on him.

I also like his little bit about the thinking behind Big Brother.

[the science eel]

Always liked him. The only man I ever saw do an impression of Anthony Burgess.

Yeah, and others that nobody gave a fuck about, often perfectly rendered. I loved that about him.

And I loved him in Whose Line...? even tho' I get the 'insufferable' tag.

Wonder what Slattery has to say...

RIP

[Norton Canes]

John Session's Timed Out

Session's expired.

[Buelligan]

He was fantastic in Stella Street and superb as Henry Fielding in The History of Tom Jones – A Foundling.  A great loss to the laughter of the universe.

[Norton Canes]

He had a bit of stature as the resident cleverclogs arseache on the first couple of TV series of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but boy did he have range, amazing impressionist and improviser

Yeah he always came across as immensely smug on Whose Line..? but he was the only participant who actually seemed to know enough about the authors, actors etc. he was asked to improvise in the style of that he could properly parody them instead of just do the voices (at which he was also spectacularly adept).

[robhug]

His Pesci was a tour de force

RIP

[dissolute ocelot]

I remember him fondly from Whose Line as a child - he seemed the epitome of learning, while being funny in a show-offy way (I was a smug child). QI did make him come across as a bit pompous, maybe because he wasn't as silly as he was on Whose Line and was just doling out obscure facts (they rapidly decided that QI wasn't about facts). The internet has just reminded me of his Tall Tales (or Likely Stories?), which I think I enjoyed a lot at the time (despite largely being him showing off and pissing around - or maybe because of that) but it seems to have vanished since then.

[Shit Good Nose]

Another Stella Street fan, here. I've no idea what Sessions would make of it being his enduring legacy (if indeed it truly is, in the wider world) but I shall always remember it with great fondness. It was one of the first bits of pop culture my best friend and I bonded over.

It has a sizeable hardcore fanbase and I imagine it's what most seasoned comedy fans will remember him best for.  But obviously he'll always be generally better known as an AC-TOR and raconteur, with an awful lot of people not realising he spent most of the first half of his career in silly comedy (which I say to his credit).

[Huxleys Babkins]

"It's cologne, you cockney cow!"

[Glebe]

Sad news. I actually never watched Stella Street, but was aware of his talent from other things. Actually forgot he was in Gormenghast, perfectly cast as Prunesquallor. Remember being surpized to see him pop up in Gangs of New York.

I also like his little bit about the thinking behind Big Brother.

Spot on.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Last thing I saw him in was the film adaptation of Filth by Irvine Welsh a few years ago.

[wosl]

John Cessations.

not too much of a surprise if anyone has seen him recently.

Back in the WLIIA times he seemed hyper (like a more sheepish British Robin Williams), always feeling obliged to be 'on', so that the calories in-calories out balance maintained itself as he tore around the stage impersonating both parts in a stand-off between Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando. You have to watch the intake, once you start to slow down. On top of that though, he seemed 'cursed' with the sort of creative drive that burns like a forest fire.  It had a natural flow, but he looked to be someone who, regardless, would be up for days and nights straight, on bad food and drink, obsessing over the fine details. For someone like that, sixty-seven isn't a terrible innings.  RIP.

[DrGreggles]

Anyone else remember John Sessions' Tall Tales?

Sometimes funny, sometimes smart-arsey, always bloody impressive.

[Glebe]

Last thing I saw him in was the film adaptation of Filth by Irvine Welsh a few years ago.

Haven't seen that, most recent thing I remember him in is Krays film Legend, as (checks Wiki) Lord Boothby.

[imitationleather]

You should watch Stella Street, Glebe. I think it'll be your cup of tea.

[Glebe]

You should watch Stella Street, Glebe. I think it'll be your cup of tea.

I remember seeing bits of it, was just never able to get into it. But your recommendation has been taken on board, IL!