Veteran comedy producer dies

The producer Dennis Main Wilson, one of the guiding spirits behind BBC comedy classics like the Goon Show (left), Hancock's Half Hour and Till Death Us Do Part, died from cancer yesterday. Mr Main Wilson, 72, whose showbusiness career spanned 50 years, also worked on Citizen Smith, The Marty Feldman Show, and The Rag Trade. He helped launch the careers of Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Kenneth Williams and more recently, Stephen Fry.

A passionate believer in building newcomers' careers, he also developed the Cambridge University Footlights for BBC2. That gave TV experience to people like Clive Anderson, Tony Slattery, Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie. Main Wilson also discovered many talented writers. Two of whom, Johnny Speight - who wrote Till Death Us Do Part - and John Sullivan - writer of hits like Only Fools And Horses - are regarded as the best of their generation.