William Simons has died

The actor William Simons who played Alf in the drama from 1992 t0 2010 has died aged 78;
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/heartbeat-actor-pc-alf-ventress-dies-at-the-age-of-78/ar-AADgEcR

I'm amazed he was only 78 he looked about 70, 30 years ago. A bit like Jim Bowen in that respect.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=9diIghjE&id=661180D001E06CAE7675F84C0129A15842C7AFFD&thid=OIP.9diIghjE87J6TK2O0IRggAHaFo&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fradiosoundsfamiliar.com%2fresources%2fTelevision_Memories%2fCrown_Court%2fb2.jpg.opt563x428o0%2c0s563x428.jpg&exph=428&expw=563&q=bill+simons+heartbeat&simid=608018744962778956&selectedIndex=3&ajaxhist=0

That's longer than the web address Childrens BBC used to give out back in the 90s.

Another one bites the dust. They should never have axed Heartbeat, if it wasn't for the coalition government in 2010 it and The Bill could still be on today.

What a ridiculous thing to write.

Heartbeat should have been axed years before it was really - it was just going through the motions once it got stuck in 1969.

I never watched Heartbeat - dreadful programme. However, I remember him in 'Cribb'.
http://i67.tinypic.com/35d163q.png

Heartbeat was never a favourite of mine it was very successful. At first it was on Fridays then it switched to Sundays and became a hit. I thought Mr Simons passing was worth mentioning (Right now I'm watching Inspector Lynley with him in!)

Not just ridiculous but bloody stupid.

What the hell has the coalition government got to do with the end of Heartbeat or The Bill?

They should have kept moving it on in time, like Call The Midwife does. Having it move into the 70s would have given the show newer and different things to do than being perpetually stuck in a 60s limbo.

And even though it was technically stuck in 1969 for years, it was a sort of mishmash of different parts of the 60s happening at the same time. So you had things like man landing on the moon and steam trains on the railways co-existing.