This weeks RIP's........

[Annoyed Grunt]

Bodie.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 69397.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Always enjoyed that show .... but can't think of anything else he was ever involved in.


Read up the history of Lewis Collin's dad and how he swindled the rights to "Without You" from Evans and Ham. They made barely a penny from it while Mr Collins Snr. did fantastically well.

Who Dares Wins

Only thing I know he was in....good film as well

[Annoyed Grunt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25173331" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No more Fast & Furious movies?

Died in a car crash as well......

[Hoboh]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25173331

No more Fast & Furious movies?

Died in a car crash as well......

Looking at the wreckage they were traveling a bit to do that much damage, fire or no fire.
Looks like an f1 car thats had a shunt, ton plus and those porsche ain't just glued together by Stevie Wonder either.

[Relentless09]

Watched the Fast and Furious movies in my early teens and I still enjoy watching them. Very sad, tragic and some what ironic death. Thoughts are with both families over their loss.

[Worthy4England]

Missed this one last week, but farewell to John Graham. Better known to some as Araucaria. Crossword puzzle setter in the Grauniad.

Bizzarely enough he announced his illness in one of his crosswords and gave updates by the same mechanism.

[Annoyed Grunt]

Peter O'Toole

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25393557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TANGODANCER]

Peter O'Toole

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25393557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some great performances, but will always be Lawrence of Arabia for me. R.I.P a great actor.

[seanworth]

A great actor, and will be missed. Always loved the Ruling Class and the Stuntman along with his better known films.

[jaffka]

Murphy's War, played the character excellently.

[Gary the Enfield]

And on the same day my friends mum has died following a long illness with a brain tumour. A lovely woman who will be sadly missed.

[Bruce Rioja]

Sorry to hear about your mate's mum, G. One of mine lost his mum to cancer last week.

Sad news re- Peter O'Toole. Will always be an unwell Jeffery Barnard to me.

[LeverEnd]

Sorry to hear about your mate's mum, G. One of mine lost his mum to cancer last week.

Sad news re- Peter O'Toole. Will always be an unwell Jeffery Barnard to me.

I read something of his once, very funny.

[Dujon]

Joan Fontaine.

[LeverEnd]

Joan Fontaine.

I love Rebecca, book film and lead performances. Was amazed to find out a couple of years ago that she was still with us. What's known as a good innings, and a fantastic career.

[superjohnmcginlay]

Ronnie Biggs. I thought he died a while back.

[bobo the clown]

Whilst reluctant to get onto the tragedy stuff for the guy, today saw the end of a man who's name is synonymous with an era ... Ronnie Biggs.

So many things about his case were extraordinary to a modern eye. The Train Robbers gang, 16 in all, consisted of members of two groups. One, East End London semi-organised criminals were notorious blaggers but knew nothing of train hi-jack, but they had information and detail of an opportunity to nick £3m ... equivalent to £45m today. They therefore joined forces with another mob who had train robbery expertise (how do you get THAT on your CV ??). Though career criminals and threats and violence would not be strange to them it's notable that no guns were carried in the robbery. They did take ... & use ... metal coshes though.

The shares were to be evenly divided ... approx. £170k (£2.5m) whatever the role played.

Ronnie Briggs was better known as a getaway man, but he knew a man who was a retired train driver who would be able to drive the train to a siding, where it would be emptied. When the robbery took place, the train stopped at a false signal light and the gang boarded it turned out that the driver wasn't au-fait with this particular engine. He & Biggs were sent away and did no more after that than later load the stolen bags onto a truck.

He still got his 1/16th share in full. Amazing.

All but 3 of the gang were caught, little of the money was ever found. The bulk of the gang got 30 year sentences.

After escaping from jail and ending up, eventually, in Brazil where he proceeded to give the British police the finger he became ill and eventually returned to Britain pleading a special case not to be sent back to prison due to his illness. He was re-incarcerated for a further 8 years. Released with only "days to live" he has lived, very ill admittedly, 4 years.

Doubtless there will be lots of East End grief and the over-blown villain's funeral to come. Maybe it'll be overshone in the media due to Christmas, but we can be sure it'll be a big one.

I suppose what sets this aside from modern crime is that a guy who arranges a train driver to be available, and cocks that up, and gets £2.5m for his efforts then gets 30 years jail. He'd be unfortunate to get 5 these days. He goes on the run and becomes more famous for that than almost all the rest of the gang and when he did return, old & frail, goes back into jail to continue his sentence PLUS some extra added for a jail-break.

So he should have, too ... I just contrast it with today's sentences and wonder which era has it right.

[ChrisC]

Whilst reluctant to get onto the tragedy stuff for the guy, today saw the end of a man who's name is synonymous with an era ... Ronnie Biggs.

So many things about his case were extraordinary to a modern eye. The Train Robbers gang, 16 in all, consisted of members of two groups. One, East End London semi-organised criminals were notorious blaggers but knew nothing of train hi-jack, but they had information and detail of an opportunity to nick £3m ... equivalent to £45m today. They therefore joined forces with another mob who had train robbery expertise (how do you get THAT on your CV ??). Though career criminals and threats and violence would not be strange to them it's notable that no guns were carried in the robbery. They did take ... & use ... metal coshes though.

The shares were to be evenly divided ... approx. £170k (£2.5m) whatever the role played.

Ronnie Briggs was better known as a getaway man, but he knew a man who was a retired train driver who would be able to drive the train to a siding, where it would be emptied. When the robbery took place, the train stopped at a false signal light and the gang boarded it turned out that the driver wasn't au-fait with this particular engine. He & Biggs were sent away and did no more after that than later load the stolen bags onto a truck.

He still got his 1/16th share in full. Amazing.

All but 3 of the gang were caught, little of the money was ever found. The bulk of the gang got 30 year sentences.

After escaping from jail and ending up, eventually, in Brazil where he proceeded to give the British police the finger he became ill and eventually returned to Britain pleading a special case not to be sent back to prison due to his illness. He was re-incarcerated for a further 8 years. Released with only "days to live" he has lived, very ill admittedly, 4 years.

Doubtless there will be lots of East End grief and the over-blown villain's funeral to come. Maybe it'll be overshone in the media due to Christmas, but we can be sure it'll be a big one.

I suppose what sets this aside from modern crime is that a guy who arranges a train driver to be available, and cocks that up, and gets £2.5m for his efforts then gets 30 years jail. He'd be unfortunate to get 5 these days. He goes on the run and becomes more famous for that than almost all the rest of the gang and when he did return, old & frail, goes back into jail to continue his sentence PLUS some extra added for a jail-break.

So he should have, too ... I just contrast it with today's sentences and wonder which era has it right.

Wasn't it a Royal Mail train Bobo? Only being a young pup (28) I only really know of the story from the Buster film. I think the sentence was so heavy due to effectively robbing the Queen

[bobo the clown]

It was a "Mobile Post Office" train. ie. Mail was loaded onto the train, and picked up at speed from hangers at certain points on the line" and was sorted by staff on the train as it travelled.

The front carriage was for high value goods. There would normally be about £300k (£4.5m) on, but there had been a bank holiday in Scotland and so there were several days worth on board. The crooks heard about this and had the train signal show a false sign, the train stopped and the crooks boarded it, uncoupling the front carriage from the rest. The GPO sorting staff knew nothing until way after the event.

Yes, the robbing of a Post Office ... and lifting used notes ... was seen a beyond the pale.

[thebish]

Ronnie Biggs. I thought he died a while back.

he was released from prison in 2009 because he was at death's door....

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Whilst reluctant to get onto the tragedy stuff for the guy, today saw the end of a man who's name is synonymous with an era ... Ronnie Biggs.

So many things about his case were extraordinary to a modern eye. The Train Robbers gang, 16 in all, consisted of members of two groups. One, East End London semi-organised criminals were notorious blaggers but knew nothing of train hi-jack, but they had information and detail of an opportunity to nick £3m ... equivalent to £45m today. They therefore joined forces with another mob who had train robbery expertise (how do you get THAT on your CV ??). Though career criminals and threats and violence would not be strange to them it's notable that no guns were carried in the robbery. They did take ... & use ... metal coshes though.

The shares were to be evenly divided ... approx. £170k (£2.5m) whatever the role played.

Ronnie Briggs was better known as a getaway man, but he knew a man who was a retired train driver who would be able to drive the train to a siding, where it would be emptied. When the robbery took place, the train stopped at a false signal light and the gang boarded it turned out that the driver wasn't au-fait with this particular engine. He & Biggs were sent away and did no more after that than later load the stolen bags onto a truck.

He still got his 1/16th share in full. Amazing.

All but 3 of the gang were caught, little of the money was ever found. The bulk of the gang got 30 year sentences.

After escaping from jail and ending up, eventually, in Brazil where he proceeded to give the British police the finger he became ill and eventually returned to Britain pleading a special case not to be sent back to prison due to his illness. He was re-incarcerated for a further 8 years. Released with only "days to live" he has lived, very ill admittedly, 4 years.

Doubtless there will be lots of East End grief and the over-blown villain's funeral to come. Maybe it'll be overshone in the media due to Christmas, but we can be sure it'll be a big one.

I suppose what sets this aside from modern crime is that a guy who arranges a train driver to be available, and cocks that up, and gets £2.5m for his efforts then gets 30 years jail. He'd be unfortunate to get 5 these days. He goes on the run and becomes more famous for that than almost all the rest of the gang and when he did return, old & frail, goes back into jail to continue his sentence PLUS some extra added for a jail-break.

So he should have, too ... I just contrast it with today's sentences and wonder which era has it right.

You missed out the most interesting part in this potted history. Whilst in Brazil sunning himself on a beach, he got a visit from the Sex Pistols who recorded one of the 'classic' punk moments using Ronnie as 'drummer' and 'singer' [altogether now]... Ronnie Biggs waz doin' time until he dan a bunk...

And didn't he nearly get illegally renditioned (or whatever the term is) by Slipper of the Yard? or did I dream that bit?