MINISTER WITHOUT PULSE
Dependable character actor John Nettleton has died aged 94. He was best remembered as the conniving bespectacled minister Sir Arnold Robinson in still-timely Yes Minister, who returns in Yes Prime Minister as President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information. Nettleton’s commanding gravitas combined with his comedic timing made him a natural at the role, and led to a string of other stuffy sitcom authority figures. His dramatic prowess had already been well established before branching into comedy, and highlights of his extensive stage career include the Shakespearean roles of Jaques in As You Like It and both Polonius and the Gravedigger in Hamlet. He also made forays into children’s TV, narrating historical biographies on Blue Peter. He was picked by The Retched pong of Brit sit-com and for all we know could be the thin end of the wedge for the Theme Team League.
John Nettleton
5 February 1929 – 12 July 2023, aged 94
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