John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008)[2] was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom Just Good Friends.[3][1]
Early life
Ringham was born in Cheltenham, where his father was a travelling book salesman. He was educated at the Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys (now called Pate's Grammar School). As a teenager he was a member of a drama group run by a retired professional actor. He was then called up for National Service and served from 1946 until 1948 in Mandatory Palestine.[1]
After leaving the army he spent four years as a member of a touring theatre company called The Compass Players based in Gloucestershire.[4]
Ringham played Inspector Lanner in the 1985 Sherlock Holmes adaptation of The Resident Patient.[9]
In Dad's Army he played two different characters – Private Bracewell in the pilot (he was set to become a major recurring character, but this was later dropped), then Captain Bailey in four later episodes.[10][11]
He appeared in the long-running show Doctor Who three times, first as the bloodthirsty priest Tlotoxl in the story The Aztecs (1964). He returned in the stories The Smugglers (1966) and Colony in Space (1971).[12]
Ringham also appeared as the by-the-book Commander Tri-S in the unsold pilot of The Solarnauts, created by Roberta Leigh (1967).[citation needed]
Playwright and author
He was also a playwright and the author of three books, including a biography of the composer George Frideric Handel.[4]
