Gareth Jones (actor)
Encyclopedia
Gareth Jones was a British
actor, chiefly remembered for the circumstances of his death.
During the live television
broadcast of the Armchair Theatre
play Underground
on the ITV
network in the UK, Jones suffered a massive heart attack and died during a live television video production
off camera, between two of his scenes while in make-up. Director Ted Kotcheff
was forced to improvise with his cast to carry on the play to its conclusion, with producer Sydney Newman
ordering him to "shoot it like a football match". Coincidentally, his character was to have suffered a heart attack during the play.
Jones had previously appeared in a BBC Television
adaptation of Under Milk Wood
in 1957.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor, chiefly remembered for the circumstances of his death.
During the live television
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
broadcast of the Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
play Underground
Underground (1958 TV play)
Underground was a science fiction television play presented as part of the British anthology series Armchair Theatre which was broadcast live by the ITV commercial network on 30 November 1958...
on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network in the UK, Jones suffered a massive heart attack and died during a live television video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
off camera, between two of his scenes while in make-up. Director Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff , sometimes credited as William Kotcheff or William T. Kotcheff, is a Canadian film and television director, who is well known for his work on several high-profile British television productions and as a director of films such as First Blood.-Early life:Kotcheff was born William...
was forced to improvise with his cast to carry on the play to its conclusion, with producer Sydney Newman
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...
ordering him to "shoot it like a football match". Coincidentally, his character was to have suffered a heart attack during the play.
Jones had previously appeared in a BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
adaptation of Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972....
in 1957.