Shropshire's John Challis pays tribute to Corrie actor Roy Barraclough

The Shropshire actor said Mr Barraclough had been poorly for a little while but continued to work for as long as he was able to.

The pair both starred in Are You Being Served?, which returned to British TV screens last year. And he had also been due to fly out to Benidorm to star in ITV’s new series of the popular sitcom. Sadly, he was too poorly to fly and his trip was postponed.

Mr Challis, better known as Boycie from Only Fools and Horses and Monty on ITV’s Benidorm, worked with Mr Barraclough on Are You Being Served.

“He was exceptional,” said Mr Challis. “He was naturally funny. His timing was impeccable.”

Mr Challis said the cast of Benidorm were in shock and his friend, actress Sherrie Hewson, was particularly upset because she had worked with Mr Barraclough for many years.

He said: “It’s a great loss. Like so many people, I grew up watching Roy and he was brilliant with Les Dawson, when they did their Cissie and Ada double act. Roy was the perfect foil.

“It was a real pleasure to work with him on Are You Being Served, when he played Mr Grainger. Every time he opened his mouth, we all knew something funny would come out. His delivery was spot on. There was never a dull moment.”

Mr Challis added that Mr Barraclough was aware that he was poorly and was quite philosophical about future work.

When members of Are You Being Served? discussed whether or not the show would come back, Mr Barraclough was sanguine.

He had hoped to join the cast of Benidorm but was told he shouldn’t fly and so the stint was called off.

Mr Challis said: “It’s a real shame. I am just grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Roy because he was a wonderful man who was very funny.

“He had a great career and brought a lot of happiness to a great many people. We’ll all have fond memories of him and he’ll be remembered by millions of people.”

The former Coronation Street star was 81.

He appeared as a talent agent in Corrie in the early 1970s before becoming a regular face on the cobbles from 1986 until 1992 and returning again in 1996 for two years.

As Gilroy, he was best known for his stormy marriage to Bet Lynch, played by Julie Goodyear.

His other TV work includes roles in Casualty, Last Of The Summer Wine and Last Tango In Halifax. And he enjoyed much theatre work, including a stint at Birmingham’s Alex as Santa Claus in a Christmas musical.

In 2006, Mr Barraclough was awarded the MBE for services to drama and his charity work. His philanthropic efforts included more than 20 years as a patron of Willow Wood Hospice in Greater Manchester. He died at the hospice following his illness.

Mr Barraclough kicked off his career as a comedian and pianist at a holiday camp on the Isle of Wight, before joining the Huddersfield Repertory Company.

In 1964, during his years with Oldham’s Coliseum Theatre company, he made his first Corrie appearance as a tour guide, returning later to sell Stan Ogden his window cleaning round and then again as a bed salesman. The late 1960s saw him take on a range of new TV roles and marked the beginning of his work with comedian Les Dawson, who died in 1993.

Mr Barraclough stepped in to fill the shoes of Dawson’s previous partner,who had been put off by his attitude to rehearsing, and the pair went on to create some of the nation’s favourite sketches, including gossipy housewives Cissie and Ada.

Les Dawson’s daughter Charlotte posted on Twitter, saying: “Omg, devastated...at least you get to be reunited with daddy.”

Even after securing his permanent stint on Corrie, Mr Barraclough refused to part with his passion for theatre, insisting on taking time every year to appear on stage.

According to his spokesman, it was his continuous need to be written in and out of the show that led writers to give Alec Gilroy a second job as an acts promoter on cruise ships.

Mr Barraclough’s final departure from the soap over the Christmas of 1998 saw Gilroy embark on a new life with granddaughter Vicky Arden.

After a career spanning more than 55 years, Mr Barraclough amassed friends across the show business industry and spanned the generations.

Comedian Matt Lucas posted a picture of the pair filming for 2015 show Pompidou and wrote: “Happy days with Roy Barraclough on ‘Pompidou’. Lovely man.”