Star of Bodger and Badger dies

ENTERTAINER Andy Cunningham, the creator and star of children’s TV show Bodger And Badger, has died aged 67.

Cunningham played handyman Simon Bodger in the series and voiced his companion, a beret-wearing badger with a love of mashed potato. The BBC show ran from 1989 to 1999.

He died of cancer at Royal Sussex County Hospital on Monday, according to his sister Tessa.

She said: ‘Andy lived to be loved and to make people laugh – starting with me, his little sister.

‘He had a quicksilver brain, a rebellious attitude, boundless compassion particularly for the underdog, unstinting levels of generosity and, of course, a passion for mashed potato.’

Born in May 1950, the father-of-one read English at Cambridge University and gave comedian Julian Clary his first job when he was writing and directing shows for the Covent Garden Community Theatre Group. He also worked as a puppeteer in the Star Wars film Return Of The Jedi.