Patrick Newell
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Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor, known for his large size.


Early life and education

The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served as a Captain in the
Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
, Newell was educated at
Taunton School Taunton School is a co-educational independent school in the county town of Taunton in Somerset in South West England. It serves boarding and day-school pupils from the ages of 13 to 18. The current headmaster is Lee Glaser, appointed in the aut ...
and completed his
National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...
, where a fellow recruit was
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...
, before training at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
, alongside
Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...
and
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
.


Career

Newell began to be seen frequently on TV, usually cast as a fat villain or in comic roles. Given his rotund appearance and ability for playing slightly stuffy types, he was a natural stooge in several comedy shows, first for
Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...
, in ''
Arthur's Treasured Volumes ''Arthur's Treasured Volumes'' was a black-and-white British television series that aired on ITV in 1960. Starring Arthur Askey, it was written by Dave Freeman and was made for the ITV network by ATV. All six episodes were missing having be ...
'' (ATV, 1960), then for
Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...
in ''
Faces of Jim ''Faces of Jim'' was a black-and-white British comedy television series starring Jimmy Edwards, June Whitfield and Ronnie Barker, with each episode being an individual half-hour sitcom. The first series aired as ''The Seven Faces of Jim'', the se ...
'' (BBC, 1962), with
Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as '' Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and ''Open All Hours''. ...
also supporting. He was originally cast as one of the inept recruits in the first of the ''
Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...
'' films, 1958's ''
Carry On Sergeant ''Carry On Sergeant'' is a 1958 British comedy film about National Service starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; it is the first in the series of ''Carry On'' films, with 31 entries released from 1958 to 1992. The film wa ...
'' but, according to producer Peter Rogers, Newell turned up on the first day of filming, only to recognise the real-life sergeant hired to drill the cast as the one who'd made his life hell in the Army. He then, so Rogers claims, got into his Rolls-Royce, drove off and was never seen again. In an interview with TV Times, in 1968, he claimed to have gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles. In ''Who's Who on Television'' in the late 1970s, Newell described himself as "Actor with a weight problem—the more he diets, the less work he seems to get." His most notable role was as "
Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
", the spymaster in '' The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers''. He had previously appeared in two earlier ''Avengers'' episodes: "The Town of No Return" (
Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in '' On H ...
's debut) and, as a Minister of the Crown, in series five's "Something Nasty in the Nursery". Other cult television appearances included roles in ''
Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created b ...
'', ''
The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is an action-comedy series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the cycle of adventure serie ...
'', ''
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and p ...
'', the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' story "
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", '' The Young Ones'' and ''
Kinvig ''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by London Weekend Television which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only sit-com written by Nigel Kneale who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas su ...
''. Newell played
Inspector Lestrade Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...
in the 1980 TV series, ''
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson ''Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson'' is a television series created by Sheldon Reynolds and based on characters and storylines from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. It starred Geoffrey Whitehead, Donald Pickering and Patric ...
'', made in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. He also turned up as a Playboy Bunny in one of the
Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...
comedy specials. Film appearances include the Gluttony segment of '' The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' (1971). In 1984, he landed a more significant role, as Sutton/Blessington in ITV's well-received ''
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...
'' production of "
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", alongside
Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...
. Later in life Newell succeeded in losing a substantial amount of weight, but this did not prevent his early death from a heart attack. He was married and had two children.


Selected filmography

* '' Dial 999'' (1955) – Brewers Man (uncredited) * '' The Rebel'' (1961) – Art Gallery Patron (uncredited) * ''
Night Without Pity ''Night Without Pity'' is a 1961 British crime film directed by Theodore Zichy and starring Sarah Lawson, Neil McCallum, Alan Edwards and Michael Browning. Plot summary Two thieves take a woman and her injured son hostage while they attempt ...
'' (1961) – Doctor * ''
Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitua ...
'' (1962) – 2nd Jeweller * '' The Boys'' (1962) – Crowhurst * ''
The Dock Brief ''The Dock Brief'' (US title ''Trial and Error'') is a 1962 black-and-white British legal satire directed by James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, and based on the play of the same name written by John Mortimer (creator o ...
'' (1962) – 1st Warder * '' Unearthly Stranger'' (1963) – Maj. Clarke * ''
Never Mention Murder ''Never Mention Murder'' is a 1964 British second feature film directed by John Nelson Burton and starring Maxine Audley, Dudley Foster and Michael Coles. Part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios, it is ...
'' (''
Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''The E ...
'' - 1964) – Barman * '' Father Came Too!'' (1964) – King Harold * ''
Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...
'' (1964) – William of Corbeil (uncredited) * ''
Do You Know This Voice? ''Do You Know This Voice?'' is a 1964 British neo-noir directed by Frank Nesbitt and starring Dan Duryea, Isa Miranda and Gwen Watford. It is based on the 1960 novel of the same title by Evelyn Berckman. The film was released directly to televis ...
'' (1964) – Neighbor * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1964) – Mr. Hoskins * ''
The Alphabet Murders ''The Alphabet Murders'' is a 1965 British detective film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. It is based on the 1936 novel ''The A.B.C. Murders'' by Agatha Christie. Plot Albert Aachen, a clown with a unique ...
'' (1965) – Cracknell * '' A Study in Terror'' (1965) – PC Benson * ''Bindle (One of Them Days)'' (1966) – Mr. Hearty * '' The Sandwich Man'' (1966) – River Bus Man * ''
The Long Duel ''The Long Duel'' is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Charlotte Rampling and Harry Andrews. It is set in British-ruled India of the 1920s but was filmed in Spain. Plot Superintende ...
'' (1967) – Colonel * ''Danny the Dragon'' (1967) – Potter * ''
The Strange Affair ''The Strange Affair'' is a 1968 British crime drama film directed by David Greene and starring Michael York, Jeremy Kemp and Susan George. Plot Peter Strange (Michael York) is an idealistic young police recruit who gets mixed up with the mac ...
'' (1968) – Victim * '' The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' (1971) – Doctor (segment "Gluttony") * ''
The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''Masterpiece, ...
'' (1972) – Prior (uncredited) * ''
Go for a Take ''Go for a Take'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Harry Booth and featuring Dennis Price, Bob Todd, Reg Varney, Norman Rossington, Sue Lloyd and Anouska Hempel. Debbie Russ reprises her role as the character "Tiger" from the televi ...
'' (1972) – Generous Jim * ''Where's Johnny?'' (1974) – Basil * '' Vampira'' (1974) – Man in Hotel Room * ''
Man About the House ''Man About the House'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 A ...
'' (1974) – Sir Edmund Weir * ''
The Incredible Sarah ''The Incredible Sarah'' is a 1976 British drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Glenda Jackson. It presents a dramatization of the acting career of Sarah Bernhardt. Cast * Glenda Jackson as Sarah Bernhardt * Daniel Massey as ...
'' (1976) – Major * ''
Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers ''Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers'' is a 1977 British film directed by Norman Cohen and starring Robin Askwith and Nigel Davenport. It is a sequel to '' The Virgin Soldiers'' (1969).The Golden Lady ''The Golden Lady'' is a British thriller film directed by José Ramón Larraz and starring Christina World, June Chadwick, Suzanne Danielle and Desmond Llewelyn. Filmed in 1978, it was released in 1979. Plot Julia Hemingway ( Ina Skriver, cre ...
'' (1979) – Charlie Whitlock * '' The Shillingbury Blowers'' (1980) – Mr. Meadows * ''
Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of "''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear''") is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...
'' (1985) – Bentley Bobster * ''Redondela'' (1987) – José María Gil Ramos * ''
Consuming Passions ''Consuming Passions'' is a 1988 black comedy film which stars Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, and Sammi Davis and was directed by Giles Foster. Synopsis The film is based on '' Secrets'' by Michael Palin and Terry Jones a BBC television pl ...
'' (1988) – Lester (final film role)


Television series

* ''
Deadline Midnight ''-30-'' (released as ''Deadline Midnight'' in the UK) is a 1959 film directed by Jack Webb and starring Webb and William Conrad as night managing editor and night city editor, respectively, of a fictional Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles new ...
'' (1961) – Bertie Miller * ''
Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...
'' (1964) – Alex * '' Thorndyke'' (1964) – Polton * ''The Idiot'' (1966) – Lebediev * '' The Illustrated Weekly Hudd'' (1966) * '' Room at the Bottom'' (1967) – Cyril Culpepper * ''
All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing the pilot. ...
'' (1967) - Ghost * '' The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1968) – Mother / Sir George Collins / Smallwood * ''
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and p ...
- The Man From Nowhere'' (1968) – Mannering * ''Never Say Die'' (1970) – Mr. Oliphant * ''The Misfit'' (1971) – Stanley Allenby-Johnson * ''
The Des O'Connor Show ''The Des O'Connor Show'' is a British variety and chat show hosted by Des O'Connor which was broadcast on ITV from 1963 until 1973. History Associated Television produced the programme, which was recorded in black-and-white for the first six ...
'' (1971) * ''
Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
'' (1971) – Schalon * '' Sadie, It's Cold Outside'' (1975) – Chip shop proprietor * ''
Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...
'' (1975) – Thomas Woodall * ''
Wilde Alliance ''Wilde Alliance'' is a British television series produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network in 1978. The programme was a light-hearted mystery series created by Ian Mackintosh about a husband-and-wife pair of amateur detectives, Rupe ...
'' ('A Question of Research ', 'A Game for Two Players', episodes) (1978) - Bailey * ''
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson ''Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson'' is a television series created by Sheldon Reynolds and based on characters and storylines from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. It starred Geoffrey Whitehead, Donald Pickering and Patric ...
'' (unscreened) (1980) – Inspector Lestrade * ''The Whizzkid's Guide'' (1981–1983) * ''Doctors' Daughters'' (1981) – Archdeacon Bellwether * ''
Kinvig ''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by London Weekend Television which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only sit-com written by Nigel Kneale who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas su ...
'' (1981) – Mr. Horsley * ''
Jemima Shore Investigates ''Jemima Shore Investigates'' is a British mystery television series which originally aired in twelve episodes in 1983. It is based on a series of novels by Antonia Fraser about Jemima Shore, a crime-solving television presenter.Brunsdale p.361- ...
'' – Jamie * ''
Bottle Boys ''Bottle Boys'' is a British sitcom which ran for two series on ITV between 1 September 1984 and 24 August 1985. Starring Robin Askwith as football-mad milkman Dave Deacon, the series mined broad comedy from randy Dave's amorous adventures. Ho ...
'' (1984) – Mr. Dawson * ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
- The Resident Patient'' (1985) – Blessington/Sutton * ''
Ladies in Charge ''Ladies in Charge'' is a British television series which originally aired on ITV in 1986.Maxford p.540 It followed on from a pilot episode that appeared on the ''Storyboard'' anthology series in 1985. Returning from the First World War where th ...
'' (1986) – Maxwell


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newell, Patrick 1932 births 1988 deaths English male television actors English male film actors People from Hadleigh, Suffolk 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Royal Fusiliers soldiers Military personnel from Suffolk