Rainbow presenter Geoffrey is climbing high over the sky
BY LUCY MAPSTONE CHILDREN’S TV favourite Geoffrey Hayes has died at the age of 76.
Hayes hosted Rainbow for 18 years, appearing in more than 1000 episodes alongside squabbling puppets Zippy, George and Bungle.
The actor and presenter’s manager Phil Dale said: “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.
“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.”
Hayes, known for playing Detective Constable Scatliff in hit BBC show Z Cars, took over as presenter of Thames Television hit Rainbow from original host David Cook.
He played the long-suffering adult character forced to keep the peace in the Rainbow House in the show, which was broadcast several nights a week to children around the UK.
In 2002, Hayes said the secret to the its enduring popularity was that it was full of “magic, innocence and imagination”.
He said: “Practically all the time people come up to me and it really breaks me up because they thank me for being part of their childhood. It makes me want to cry sometimes.”
Hayes, of Stockport also appeared on programmes including Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Pointless Celebrities but struggled to find work after Rainbow was cancelled, He said in 2014: “Like most actors, I’ve had spells of unemployment and for four months I worked two nights a week shelf-stacking in my local Sainsbury’s. “I didn’t do it for the money – it was just that I’d been out of work for five months and was hanging around the house becoming a pain. My wife told me to do something to take my mind off it. I also did a stint taxi driving.
“Now I’m retired and when I look back at my TV career, I feel very lucky. I’ll always be grateful for Rainbow and the life it’s given me.”
Fans of Hayes and Rainbow paid tribute on Twitter. Radio broadcaster Tony Shepherd tweeted: “Goodbye to yet another part of our childhood.”
TV hypnotist Chris Hughes wrote: “Goodbye to yet another part of my childhood.
“Zippy Bungle & George will be lost without you! Paint the whole world with a rainbow £rainbow.”
One fan said they were a “little bit heartbroken” to hear of Hayes’s death, adding: “Rainbow gave me hours of endless fun as a child.
“I refused to stay for school dinners in primary school because it would cut in on my Rainbow viewing! Another part of my childhood gone.”
Another said: “This is so sad, another face from our childhood, Rainbow presenter Geoffrey Hayes has passed away. Thanks for giving this 80s kid some great memories.”