Frank Skinner has paid tribute to comedian Gareth Richards as he introduced a special edition of a podcast featuring the best bits of the radio show they co-hosted.
Richards’ death was announced yesterday almost two weeks after he suffered brain injuries in a motorway crash.
Describing Richards as a “former colleague and dear friend”, Skinner said: “There’s been lots of beautiful messages about Gareth and his family have been very kind to us and kept us informed about the details of his struggle but look, Gareth didn’t make it.
“Gareth didn’t make it and we will miss him intensely.
“He was a very kind, gentle, funny, fascinating man and I can’t believe that he…
“Today’s show features Gareth’s best bits but you are allowed to cry but you have to laugh as well, I think he would have insisted on that.”
Skinner and Richards worked together during the early days of the Saturday morning show on Absolute Radio.
In a post on social media paying tribute, Richards’ wife said: “He was in a terrible car accident on Monday 27 March at 11.30pm and sustained serious brain injuries.
“It was a miracle that he arrived at the hospital alive.
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“Since then, the doctors and nurses have been incredible and have kept him in a stable and sedated condition.
“However, the latest scan revealed that the extent of the damage was so severe that they would have to remove all of the supportive medications and allow him to be at peace.”
The comedian had his first ever gig in October 2004, aboard the Wibbly Wobbly Boat, a venue compered by alternative comedy veteran Malcolm Hardy.
His success led to him becoming a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year 2007 competition, and a runner-up in the Amused Moose Laugh-Off 2007.
In 2010 the comedian went on to lead his first solo stand-up on “Stand Up Between Songs” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Richards was also nominated for Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer.
During his career, Richards also appeared on Russell Howard’s Good News, Live at the Electric on BBC Three and children’s TV panel show The Dog Ate My Homework on CBBC.
He later joined Skinner’s award-winning radio show for two years.
Tributes poured in from heartbroken fans, friends and family, following the announcement of his death.
On Saturday The Frank Skinner Show tweeted: “We are heartbroken about the loss of our dear friend, Gareth. We will miss him greatly.”
Emily Dean, a co-host of Skinner’s podcast, said: “God I will miss you Gareth Richards – my hilarious, unfailingly kind, gentle, beautiful friend. So grateful to have known you.”
Fellow comic Joe Lycett posted: “When I did my first hour at the Edinburgh Festival, I shared my venue with Gareth Richards.
“He was on after me and was normally the first person I saw when I came off stage. He wasn’t having the best time of it that year but he was always generous and comforting despite presumably trying to focus on his own imminent show.
“We giggled together on and off over the last decade and reconnected more actively in the last couple of years, and I felt like he was getting to a happy and more honest place with who he was.
“He’d been very brave. I’m absolutely gutted about his death and am so sad for his family.
“His last WhatsApp message to me contains amongst other things, the words ‘love you’. I didn’t say it back then and I should have: love you too, G. X”
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.
The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.
On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.
Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.
“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”
“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.
Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.
“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Force referred to police watchdog
On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.
East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.
Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.
A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.
Experts from various fields helped put the pieces of the puzzle together, including speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology.
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His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.
The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.
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Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a good physical match.
Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.
The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.
History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”
Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life
South Yorkshire Police have warned pet owners to “step up before someone dies” after receiving 13 reports of dangerous dogs in less than 48 hours.
One man was attacked by his own American bulldog in Sheffield on Thursday afternoon, the force said, when he attempted to separate it and a pocket bully inside a property.
The owner suffered lacerations to his face, neck and head, and was taken to hospital, while his dog was seized and remains in police kennels.
Warning: Distressing images below
Another incident saw a woman walking home with her baby in a carrier on her chest, when she was approached by a loose XL bully who began to show aggression and jump up to her baby.
An elderly woman and her grandchild were attacked by another loose dog in Sheffield.
“As dogs causing harm and fear in our communities continues to place significant demand on our force, we’re urging owners to step up, before someone dies,” South Yorkshire Police said in a statement.
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The warning comes after 10-year-old Savannah Bentham was killed at her family’s home in North Yorkshire by their dog on 1 November.
Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, said: “Recently we have sadly seen another fatal incident in the UK of a dog causing death.
“People think it won’t happen to them, that their dog won’t cause harm, but it can happen to anyone. Any dog can cause fear and harm and owners who do not step up and prevent harm to our communities will not be tolerated.
“You are responsible for your dog’s actions, and we continue to put people before the courts.
“We only have a limited number of resources, attending dangerous dog incidents takes officers away from other calls. If every owner steps up and makes small changes, we can make a difference.”