A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Kenneth Cope

 

Kenneth Charles Cope was born on the 14th of April 1931 in Wavertree, Liverpool, the son of an engineer. He was always keen on performing and took part in several 'Gang Shows' when he was a boy scout and appeared in a youth production of Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' with his friend, actor Norman Rossington. He studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Drama School, after which he landed several roles in both TV with 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', and the film 'Dunkirk'. His first big break came when the then thirty-year-old Kenneth first appeared in 'Coronation Street' as Jed Stone in April 1961, which was originally intended as a one-off appearance. However five months later he reprised the role on a more permanent basis. In his debut episode Jed was played as a far more sinister character who attempted to get his old partner and crime Dennis Tanner to be involved in a new illegal job, but when he returned on a full-time basis this was toned down and he played a far more comedic role as a lovable rogue. In his debut episode Jed was also seen without his trademark cap. His wife to be Renny Lister appeared as Jed's girlfriend Jean Stark in 1961 and they married that same year. Due to an Equity strike, which meant several actors couldn't have their contacts renewed, he was absent from the show for a year before eventually returning in late 1962 (although he did make a cameo appearance in April 1962). During this stint which lasted a few months up until March 1963, Jed moved in with landlady Minnie Caldwell and shared a close friendship with her, with Minnie regarding Jed as a surrogate son. His appearance in 'Coronation Street' led to the recording of a novelty pop single 'Hands Off, Stop Mucking About' with Tony Hatch. Although the song was not a hit it led to Ken being given a regular slot as a disc jockey with Radio Luxembourg. This, along with his appearances in the satirical 'That Was The Week that Was' (1962-1963), proved to be a springboard for his later success.

'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'

It is as Jed Stone and his role as Marty Hopkirk in 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)' that he is most famous, although he also played Ray Hilton in 'Brookside'. Randall and Hopkirk were private detectives and Hopkirk is murdered by a hit-and-run driver, but returns to help solve his own murder, with the aid of his partner Jeff Randall played by Mike Pratt. This highly popular cult series ran to 26 episodes, and was brought out on DVD. He also appeared in three episodes of 'Minder' playing different characters, as newly released prisoner Arthur Stubbs in 'Bury my Half at Waltham Green', as Police Informer, Phelan in 'Bring me the head of Arthur Daley', and as 'Scooter' in 'Waiting For Goddard'. He played Subutai in the 1965 film of the life of Genghis Khan, and in the same year appeared in 'Dateline Diamonds' playing Lester Benson. He wrote the Thames sitcom 'Thingumybob' for Stanley Holloway in 1968 and then took leading roles in two 'Carry On' films. In 'Carry On at Your Convenience' (1971) he played Vic Spanner, the obnoxious shop steward central to the film's trade union and industrial problems storyline, and rival in the film's romantic sub-plot. In 'Carry On Matron' (1972) he took the more sympathetic role of Cyril Carter, the son of a thief who is forced to impersonate a female nurse as part of his father's attempt to rob a maternity hospital. In 1971 he played Jack Victor in 'The Wogle Stone', the sixth episode in the second season of 'Catweazle'. With his wife Renny he opened and ran a restaurant 'Martha's Kitchen' in 1974, named after their daughter, in Wallington, Oxfordshire. In 1975–76 Ken wrote three series of the BBC children's television series 'Striker', starring the young Kevin Moreton and inspired by the local youth football team in the village of Islip, Oxfordshire, where the Cope family was then living with their three children, a daughter Martha who now also an actress who has also appeared in Coronation Street and sons Nick and Mark who formed, and were members of, the rock group 'The Candyskins'. They then moved to Eynsham, Oxfordshire in 1983 where he and his wife bought a pub and turned it into a restaurant named 'Edward's' after their second son. Regular TV work followed, with appearances in many well-established programmes like 'Dixon Of Dock Green', 'George and Mildred' (1980), 'Doctor Who' (1981), 'Juliet Bravo' (1983), 'Rumpole of the Bailey' (1987), 'Casualty' (1988), 'Bergerac' (1989), 'Lovejoy' (1994) and 'A Touch of Frost' (1997), followed later with the role of Ray Hilton in 'Brookside' (1999 - 2002) and also 'The Bill' (2006). In 1984 he had starred in an ill-conceived surreal sitcom about a failing themed cowboy village on the outskirts of Merseyside called 'Bootle Saddles'. He played the lead character Percy James, who was passionate about the park despite the poor financial returns. The series appeared to be less of a parody but more a sort of homage to 1950s and '60s westerns, with episodes structured loosely around epics like 'High Noon' and 'The Magnificent Seven'. The series was axed after one season. He was offered a cameo role in the 2000-2001 revival of 'Randall and Hopkirk' starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, but turned it down. He did, however, feature on the 'Behind the Scenes' section of the Series 1 DVD, wishing the cast of the remake well. He also provided the foreword to a Randall and Hopkirk retrospective book (by Geoff Tibballs), published in 1994. 

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2000 but six years later this was confirmed as a misdiagnosis but
he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2005. In 2008 his 'Coronation Street' character Jed Stone returned to the ITV soap after 42 years' absence, appearing as part of a storyline involving property developer Tony Gordon. The character was kept onscreen for several months before being written off yet again by show producers. In January 2014 he appeared as a character witness during the trial of former 'Coronation Street' colleague William Roache, who played Ken Barlow in the series. He lives with his wife now in Southport where he writes a weekly column for the weekly Visiter newspaper and is still an avid supporter of Everton. 

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/09/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians.html