#RIP Michael Jayston
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RIP Michael Jayston 😔 💔
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What an interesting week. I was going through a Romanov period which proved a very short one because after watching Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) I found out that Michael Jayston had recently passed away.
I remember him from my absolute favourite BBC miniseries, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979). His Guillam left quite an impression on me and I remember thinking Benedict Cumberbatch coming short in the film version. (There are so many things I am not happy with in the film version but I don't think I should start). I know many people rave about Alec Guinness as Smiley but I have always thought Jayston's Guillam is meant to be the character the audience identifies with. Knows enough to know that something big is happening, but not enough to still be amused/annoyed at Smiley's seemingly random exploration. Jaded enough to feel put off by Tarr's general annoyingness but still cares enough to pick up on Tarr's genuine fear for his life. Excellently played by Jayston.
But then, upon further digging, I found out that he was also the Rochester in my favourite BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre in 1973. I watched it on TV so many years ago that I never knew who the actors were. Whenever I read Jane Eyre again since then his has always been the face I see for Rochester. Watching other Rochesters in the other adaptations has not dislodged that face. The 1973 version is the definitive Rochester for me. And yet, I never even suspected it's the same actor who played Guillam! I honestly cannot believe that 2 of the best TV characters I have loved for years were played by the same actor. What are the odds!
So when I came down with the flu on Monday I took the chance to spend my days off rewatching Jane Eyre (1973) and Tinker Tailor (1979). To nobody's surprise (my partner simply asked if he could put all my Romanov books back on the shelves!) I immediately got myself on a Jayston binge, devouring everything I could find online. Thanks to a small but very dedicated Jayston fan community, I discovered so many old gems but my favourite is an obscure little family drama, Flesh & Blood (1980). Only series 1 is available online and even though Jayston apparently didn't return for series 2 I still want to know what happened to the Brassingtons. I am so invested and I can't live not knowing what happened next! Oh well, for now I will just spend this unfulfilled energy screenshotting Jayston as Ross Brassington, adding to my growing Jayston folder.
RIP Michael Jayston. Thank you especially for your Peter Guillam, Mr Rochester, Tsar Nicholas II and Ross Brassington.
#michael jayston#nicholas and alexandra 1971#tinker tailor soldier spy#jane eyre 1973#flesh & blood 1980#RIP Michael Jayston#I feel like I am too late for something because he already died but I don't know late for what#those jayston fans who uploaded his works on youtube and that russian youtube thing thank you thank you thank you#I changed my avatar so it's pretty much an official transition to a new obsession
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#michael jayston#RIP Michael Jayston#beloved English actor#great British actor#great English actor#Royal Shakespeare Company#Jane Eyre 1973#Edward Rochester#the best Mr. Rochester#Peter Guillam#Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy#great Shakespeare actor#Macbeth#Dickens#Lincoln Dowling#The Power Game#Doctor Who#the Valeyard#Michael Jayston audiobook#Michael Jayston voice#Mad Jack#Siegfried Sassoon#Emmerdale#Foyle's War#cricket#cold war spy#John le Carre#youtube#James Bond#Quiller
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RIP Michael Jayston (29.10.1935 - 5.2.2024)
"Well, I played a lot of interesting people. I was Siegfried Sassoon in ‘Mad Jack’, and played Beethoven and Rochester in Jane Eyre amongst others. When I did Equus in 1976, a critic described my work on television as ‘odd bits of TV’, but these are no small parts for an actor."
#michael jayston#rip#death ment tw#character actors#lincoln dowling#the valeyard#doctor who#classic doctor who#the power game#callan#cromwell#nicholas and alexandra#ufo#thriller#the edwardians#the merchant of venice#jane eyre#the homecoming#craze#tales that witness madness#quiller#tinker tailor soldier spy#ladykillers#tales of the unexpected#jack the ripper#:( another icon of old tv gone#a peerless icy villain but just as adept as stiff backed official types or smarmy leerers. the valeyard got him dw immortality but there#was so much more to his career (not least the wonderful Lincoln Dowling in TPG). i always try and rec a lesser known role when an actor#passes but for once there's too many; his Ladykillers ep as real murderer Frederick Seddon is a beautifully realised study of a twisted and#confused amorality; his Edwardians ep as Henry Royce is genuinely very moving; and The Homecoming is nothing short of a masterpiece
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Only Fools And Horses actor Michael Jayston dies aged 88
Michael Jayston, who appeared in Only Fools And Horses, has died aged 88 after “a short illness”, his agent said on Monday.
A statement from his agent M&M Famous Faces said: “It is with great sadness that I have been asked by his family to share the news Michael Jayston sadly passed away this morning after a short illness.
“Those who knew Michael will know he was full of love, laughs and happiness. He adored meeting his fans all over the world.
“His family and friends would appreciate privacy at this time.”
The British actor played the father of Rachel “Raquel” Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones), love interest of Derek “Del Boy” Trotter (Sir David Jason) in the BBC sitcom.
In the episode Time On Our Hands, antiques dealer James tells Del Boy and his brother Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) that a watch in their garage was made by clockmaker John Harrison and is worth a fortune - leading to an auction where they become millionaires.
Tagging @thisbluespirit
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RIP Michael Jayston 🖤
29th Oct 1935 - 5th Feb 2024
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RIP Michael Jayston.
#michael jayston#doctor who#tinker tailor soldier spy#nicholas and alexandra#only fools and horses#and so much more
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RIP Michael Jayston, whose intensity and fantastic voice made the Valeyard so memorable (despite the character being one of the weirdest and least explicable in Doctor Who history)
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RIP to the Valeyard.
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RIP the lovely Michael Jayston
Sad to learn we've lost another Doctor Who star - and a Doctor, no less.
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For @cinemaocd - the happiest of birthdays, dear heart!
Here is a smorgasbord of 19th century SHIRTSLEEVES SWOONSTERS (in varying levels of historical accuracy) for you in celebration <3
Also here are all the past birthday gifsets because I’m very modest and humble: 2014 - double drink! // 2015 - fave swoonsters // 2016 - domestic swoonsters // 2017 - FUR! // 2018 - handsy Roger // 2019 - bicorn beauties
#jared harris#TWICE#colin firth#richard armitage#tom hardy#russell crowe#james d'arcy#ciaran hinds#gregory peck#michael jayston#ok so some of these are some of my favourite things to watch ever#and some of these boys are my favourite things to watch ever#and even though bb jay rochester is clearly wearing a tshirt under a standard 1970s shirt it is STILL my fave rochester and also jenny's#so he has to be here#also it's really hard to get a bit of francis crozier in shirtsleeves that doesn't rip your heart out#anyway this was super fun to do#and part of the joy obviously is anticipating jenny's reaction#my wee gifs#5 of these are in my 19th century swoonsters to bang into the 20th century#and more of them would be if they were fictional
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What an incredible actor! RIP Michael Jayston
youtube
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