Actor and lead singer with the Flying Pickets during the early 1980s, he went on to take roles in several popular TV series, including Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale
Brian Hibbard, who has died of prostate cancer aged 65, first found fame as a member of the Flying Pickets, a group of actors who left the socialist playwright John McGrath's 7:84 theatre group to woo audiences through their a cappella singing. They topped the pop charts in 1983 with a cover version of Only You, trumping Yazoo, the duo of Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke, who had reached No 2 with their original recording. This Christmas No 1 single and the group's flamboyant look – gaudy suits, large hats and Hibbard's massive sideburns – led to brief stardom for the Flying Pickets, a name coined because some of them had supported the miners during their strikes of 1972 and 1974. They hit the Top 10 again with another cover,...
Brian Hibbard, who has died of prostate cancer aged 65, first found fame as a member of the Flying Pickets, a group of actors who left the socialist playwright John McGrath's 7:84 theatre group to woo audiences through their a cappella singing. They topped the pop charts in 1983 with a cover version of Only You, trumping Yazoo, the duo of Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke, who had reached No 2 with their original recording. This Christmas No 1 single and the group's flamboyant look – gaudy suits, large hats and Hibbard's massive sideburns – led to brief stardom for the Flying Pickets, a name coined because some of them had supported the miners during their strikes of 1972 and 1974. They hit the Top 10 again with another cover,...
- 6/19/2012
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
Singer-turned-actor Brian Hibbard has died at the age of 65, his agent said.
Brian, who was born in South Wales, first found fame with a capella group The Flying Pickets.
Brian Hibbard, third from left, was the band's charismatic frontman when they shot to fame
The group, formed by members of a radical theatre group, had a number one hit in 1983 with their first single - a cover version of Yazoo's Only You.
It spent five weeks at the top of the chart and won the coveted Christmas number one slot that year.
Brian went on to appear in films including Twin Town and television shows with roles in Casualty, Coronation Street and Making Out.
One of his last roles was in EastEnders, playing a former social worker called Henry Mason.
Here's a reminder of Only You...
Brian, who was born in South Wales, first found fame with a capella group The Flying Pickets.
Brian Hibbard, third from left, was the band's charismatic frontman when they shot to fame
The group, formed by members of a radical theatre group, had a number one hit in 1983 with their first single - a cover version of Yazoo's Only You.
It spent five weeks at the top of the chart and won the coveted Christmas number one slot that year.
Brian went on to appear in films including Twin Town and television shows with roles in Casualty, Coronation Street and Making Out.
One of his last roles was in EastEnders, playing a former social worker called Henry Mason.
Here's a reminder of Only You...
- 6/18/2012
- by PA
- Huffington Post
Brian Hibbard has died at the age of 65. The actor and singer passed away this morning (June 18), his talent agency Emptage Hallett confirmed to Wales Online. Hibbard was best known as the lead singer of The Flying Pickets, the band he founded in 1982. After he left the group in 1986, Hibbard had an extensive acting career, with roles in Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, (more)...
- 6/18/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
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