Robin Courteney Nedwell (27 September 1946 – 1 February 1999) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his role as Duncan Waring in the television comedy series ''

Doctor in the House ''Doctor in the House'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of st ...

'' and its sequels; he also featured in other television series such as '' The Lovers'', ''The Upchat Connection'', ''The Climber'' and the ATV comedy-drama '' Shillingbury Tales''.

Biography

He was born in Bournville, Birmingham,

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, England but moved with his family at an early age to

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, where he was educated at Monkton House prep school. After leaving school he studied at

University College, Cardiff , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

and joined local theatre company, Everyman Theatre Cardiff, and then trained at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

studying Stage Acting.Anthony Haywar
Obituary: Robin Nedwell
''The Independent'', 4 February 1999 Soon after finishing drama school he landed the role of Duncan Waring in the hugely popular British television comedy series ''

'' (1969–70). The producer,

Humphrey Barclay Humphrey Barclay BEM (born 24 March 1941, Dorking, Surrey, England) is a British comedy executive and producer. Career Barclay was educated at Harrow School, before reading Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his first foray into sh ...

, talking about Nedwell's audition said "his natural personality and sense of comedy were immediately apparent and we cast him on the spot", and recalled his trademark "huge laugh".BBC News, 2 February 1999, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/270324.stm Taking a break from the series in 1971, Nedwell returned in a leading role as Dr. Waring in the sequels ''

Doctor in Charge ''Doctor in Charge'' is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor at Large''. It was produced by London ...

'', '' Doctor at Sea'', '' Doctor on the Go'', ''

Doctor Down Under ''Doctor Down Under'' was an Australian television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor on the Go'', and was produc ...

'' (filmed in Australia), and ''

Doctor at the Top ''Doctor at the Top'' is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. With episodes written (though not jointly) by George Layton and Bill Oddie, the series follows ...

''. Most of his roles were designed for television, and apart from the "Doctor" series, his appearances included ''

Vault of Horror ''The Vault of Horror'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Along with ''Tales from the Crypt (comics), Tales from the Crypt'' and ''The Haunt of Fear'', it formed a trifecta of pop ...

'' (1973) – along with his "Doctor" co-star

Geoffrey Davies Geoffrey Davies (born 15 December 1942 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actor. Biography The son of an accountant, Davies was educated at grammar school and studied at art college to be a commercial artist before becoming an ...

– '' Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers'' (1977), '' The Shillingbury Blowers'' (1980), ''

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1984 American made-for-television comedy film directed by Ray Austin and starring George Segal, Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman and Tom Baker. It is a parody of the Robin Hood story. Pl ...

'' (1984) and ''

Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Wadding ...

'' (1990). Nedwell became known later in his career for his performances on stage. He appeared in the West End in ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a ...

'' in 1989, and in 1992, played Max Detweiler in a British tour of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', a production that was also staged at

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

. He performed with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

during the 1995–1996 season, appearing in that year's productions of ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (Grumio), ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' and

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

's comedy '' The Devil is an Ass''.

Personal life

Nedwell had a romance with co-star

Diane Keen Diane Keen (born 29 July 1946) is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Fliss Hawthorne in the Granada sitcom '' The Cuckoo Waltz'' and Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. She also appeared in Nescafé advertisements from ...

. In 1982, Nedwell married PR agent Heather Inglis, with whom he had a daughter although the couple later separated. He had a brother, Dr. Jeremy Nedwell.

Death

Nedwell lived in

Hedge End Hedge End is a town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. Situated to the east of the City of Southampton, it adjoins the districts of West End and Botley. Hedge End lies within the Borough of Eastleigh and is part of the Southampton Urba ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England and died at his doctor's surgery in Hedge End after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on 1 February 1999, aged 52."Doctor star Nedwell dies"
''

BBC News Online BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...

'', 2 February 1999

Filmography

* '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) – Tom (segment 4 "Bargain in Death") * '' Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers'' (1977) – Lt. Grainger * '' The Shillingbury Blowers'' (1980) – Peter Higgins * '' A Slice of Life'' (1983) – Toby * ''

'' (1984) – Will Scarlett

References

External links

*
Robin Nedwell
– TV Comedy People
Robin Nedwell
– BBC Guide to Comedy

– Famous alumni of Canton High School (Cardiff) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nedwell, Robin 1946 births 1999 deaths Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama British male comedians British male film actors British male stage actors British male television actors People from Birmingham, West Midlands 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Cardiff 20th-century British comedians People from the Borough of Eastleigh