Emmerdale and Royle Family star Peter Martin dies, aged 82
The actor played Joe Caroll for 14 years in classic sitcom The Royle Family.
The Royle Family actor Peter Martin has died at the age of 82. The news of his death last week was confirmed by a friend today (Thursday 27th April), who paid tribute to the star on Facebook.
Martin’s friend, Dave Shann, posted a picture of the actor online and wrote alongside: "My friend, drinking partner and fishing buddy passed away, very sad. We had some great laughs."
A cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
Martin enjoyed a varied TV and film career, playing the Royles' neighbour Joe Caroll for 14 years in British sitcom The Royle Family, as well as Len Reynolds in ITV's Emmerdale from 2001 to 2007.
Other TV credits include All Creatures Great and Small, Chucklevision, Playing the Field, Victoria Wood, and Last of the Summer Wine. On the big screen, he appeared in Brassed Off, starring opposite Ewan McGregor and Pete Postlethwaite.
In 2007, Martin appeared in a stage production of Dad’s Army and in 2018, he starred in the comedy film Walk Like a Panther alongside Stephen Graham and Stephen Tompkinson.
Martin was also known for his comedy role in a series of TV ads for builder’s merchants Jewson in the 1980s, in which he played a baffled customer listening to a salesman reel off a list of exotic timbers on offer.
Tributes have been flooding in on social media following the news of the actor's passing.
Ricky Tomlinson issued a tribute to his former Royle Family co-star via comedian John Martin, who wrote: "Ricky Tomlinson (who doesn’t do social media) has asked me to pay tribute to Peter Martin who sadly has passed away.
"Ricky said he was an absolute joy to work with and a brilliant actor. He will be sadly missed by Ricky. R.I.P."
The Gold TV channel, which is airing all three seasons of The Royle Family back-to-back over the coronation weekend, also wrote: "All of us at Gold are saddened by the passing of Peter Martin who lit up the screen as Joe Carroll in #TheRoyleFamily. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends."
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
