The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Actor and TV presenter Geoffrey Hayes, aged 76
Geoffrey Hayes, who hosted longrunning children’s programme Rainbow, has died at the age of 76.
The actor and TV presenter’s manager, Phil Dale, said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that the family announce that Geoffrey passed away from pneumonia in hospital with his wife, Sarah, and son, Tom, by his side.
“Geoffrey Hayes (born 13 March 1942) was an English television presenter and actor, best known as the host of Thames Television’s top-rated children’s show Rainbow, and for his portrayal of Detective Constable Scatliff in the successful TV series Z Cars for the BBC.
“The family would like to express their thanks to the many fans over the years as it always gave Geoffrey so much pleasure to know that he and his Rainbow team had given so much fun to TV and theatre audiences over the years.
“There will be no further comment at the moment and it would be appreciated if the privacy of Geoffrey’s family is respected at this most difficult time.”
Hayes had close connections to Dundee, having lived in the city for much of the 1960s.
Hayes appeared alongside cuddly puppets Zippy, George and Bungle in more than 1,000 episodes of Rainbow from 1974 until 1992, having taken over from original host David Cook.
Hayes played the long-suffering adult character, guardian and upholder of the peace in the hallucinogenic Rainbow house on the show, which aired several nights a week to children across the UK.
He claimed credit in an interview for Zippy’s orange colour, saying it was a tribute to Dundee United.
He reportedly said: “Zippy was going to be blue before I begged the producers to make him tangerine... because – like me – he’s a Dundee United fan.
“I lived in Dundee for much of the ’60s and even came back a few times in the ’70s.”
In 2002, Hayes, who struggled to find work after Rainbow was cancelled, said the secret to the programme’s enduring popularity was that it was full of “magic, innocence and imagination”.
He said: “People come up to me and it really breaks me up because they thank me for being part of their childhood.”