Emmerdale icon Eric Allan has sadly died at the age of 85. The actor, who is also known for his work on The Archers, passed away on February 8 after a 48-year career in both television and radio, according to The Telegraph. He was best known to fans as the lovable blacksmith, Frank Blakey, in the early days of the ITV soap, when it was still called Emmerdale Farm in 1972.
Arguably his most meorable storyline on the show was when his character tied the knot to Janie Harker in the soap’s first ever wedding, before departing the programme in 1974. He famously also portrayed Bert Fry on BBC Radio 4’s long-running show, The Archers, for 25 years.
The actor is survived by his wife, Susan, whom he married in 1963, and their son and daughter. The TV favourite, who grew up in the heart of Yorkshire, was also known for starring in Bleak Moments and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. He was born in 1940 to his soldier and later headmaster father and his midwife mother.
After growing up in the north of England, he decided to move across the pond to Canada before returning to the UK at 18 to study at RADA. He then acted at the theatres in Leicester and Nottingham in the early days of his career, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company for several years.
There, he worked with director Mike Leigh after being cast in his first feature film, Bleak Moments. After Emmerdle, Eric joined The Archers in May 1997, stepping into the role of farmer Bery Fry, succeeding Roger Hume, who had died from a stroke 12 months earlier.
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Looking back on his career in 2021, Eric discussed his character Bert on the much-loved radio show. He gushed: “He’s the character the production team tend to turn to if the storylines are getting too depressing and a bit of light relief is called for.”
Some of his other notable TV roles included playing tabloid sports editor opposite David Warner in the BBC series Hold the Back Page in 1985. He also starred as Les Fox, one of Bet Lynch’s boyfriends, in Emmerdale’s rival soap, Coronation Street, in 1977. He also played guest roles in Z Cars, The New Avengers, Bergerac, The Bill and EastEnders.