Roger Leach

Roger Leach (22 April 1948 – 1 December 2001) was an English-Australian actor who played Sgt. Tom Penny in The Bill, and guest starred in Bergerac, Perfect Scoundrels and Doctors.

Early life Roger was born in Sydney, Australia and read English at Sydney University where he also participated in rowing and other athletics. He won a scholarship to the Central School of Speech and Drama and moved to the UK in 1971. He had many acting roles, including 42 appearances at the Salisbury Playhouse.

Career Leach became a household name when in 1984 he was asked to become one of the stars in The Bill, a highly successful ITV series about the Metropolitan Police in which he played Sergeant Tom Penny. He was also a successful stage actor. In all he played in 42 productions for artistic director David Horlock and four others at the Salisbury Playhouse. He also toured around Britain in many productions at local repertory theatres. Among these, he played Lambert le Roux in Pravda to critical acclaim, Rev Hale in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Bluntschi in Arms and the Man, Subtle in The Alchemist, Claudio in William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, and Colin in Ashes, for which feat of achievement he was cast in The Bill.

Leach appeared in a West End production of Anthony Shaffer's play The Case of the Oily Levantine directed by Patrick Dromgoole, and at the Royal Court in Gimme Shelter. In later years he featured as Uncle Max in the Sound of Music, Captain Brackett in South Pacific, the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and in 2001, Peachum in a tour of The Threepenny Opera.

Leach was also a director, teaching Shakespeare classes in text and audition techniques at three leading drama schools. He contributed scripts to shows Moon and Son, EastEnders and The Bill. In October 2001, he read the Letters of Beethoven with the Sarum Chamber Orchestra and started rehearsals for The Donkeys Years at the Salisbury Playhouse, which was due to open in January 2002.

Leach died at the age of 53 after a four-year battle with cancer.

Filmography

Television + List of Television performances Year Title Role Episode Source 1975 BBC Play of the Month Airman episode: Chips with Everything 1977 Nicholas Nickleby Captain Adams episode 1.5 1979 Shoestring D.J. episode 1.5 Listen To Me 1983 Bergerac Tyler episode 2.3 "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie" 1984–1991 The Bill Sgt Tom Penny 161 episodes 1984 The Costs 1986 Call Me Sister Hotel Porter episode 1.1 Long Shot 1992 Press Gang Pompous Man episode 4.1 Bad News 1992 Perfect Scoundrels Vicar episode 3.2 Dirty Tricks 1993 Inside Victor Lewis-Smith Old Bill Policeman 1 episode 1.2 Nationwide

Writer + List of Plays/Screenplays Year Title Collaboration/episode Type Theatre 1990 The Bill episode: One of Those Days TV series 1991 The Bill episode: Married to the Job TV series 2006 Audience with Murder with Colin Wakefield Dramatic Comedy Her Majesty's Theatre 2007 On Your Honour with Colin Wakefield Drama Jermyn Street Theatre

Theatre + List of Theatrical performances Year Title Role Theatre 1974 Barchester Towers Footman Salisbury Playhouse 1974 An Inspector Calls ASM/Eric Birling Salisbury Playhouse 1974 Time and Time Again ASM/Peter 1974 All My Sons ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) Salisbury Playhouse 1978 Gilgamesh Playhouse Theatre, Salisbury 1978 Once in a Green Moon Salisbury Arts Theatre 1979 The Case of the Oily Levantine Sergeant Theatre Royal, Bath 1999 My Fair Lady Alfred Doolittle Perth Theatre Company