The widow of comedian and Coronation Street actor Roy Hudd is campaigning for a statue to be built outside her favorite theatre, MailOnline can reveal.
Roy, who played recurring character Archie Shuttleworth on Corrie between 2002 and 2010, died in 2020 aged 83.
Now, Debbie Hudd is fighting for a sculpture in Roy’s likeness to be built outside the Theater Royal in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
So far it has raised almost £60,000 of its £95,000 target.
Debbie told MailOnline: ‘This statue will be a way of saying: ‘Thank you Roy, for your talent, generosity and love.’ A lasting monument to a man who made the world laugh.
The widow of comedian and Coronation Street actor Roy Hudd is campaigning for a statue to be built outside her favorite theatre, MailOnline can reveal.
Roy, who played recurring character Archie Shuttleworth on Corrie between 2002 and 2010, died in 2020 aged 83 (pictured in 2002 with co-star Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts)
‘Sadly, Roy died on March 15, 2020, just before the first lockdown. There was no opportunity to celebrate this wonderful man who gave so much and in so many ways throughout his life.”
To make the statue, Debbie recruited Sean Hedges-Quinn, the man behind the bronze statue of England football manager Sir Alf Ramsey, who led the 1966 World Cup team to victory.
Sean, 56, said: “You could have knocked me down with a feather the day I got the phone call from Debbie.”
“She had been looking for a sculptor and explained to me why she wanted me to create the Roy statue, saying, ‘When you ask a sculptor to make a statue, they usually don’t know the subject.’
‘But Roy and I knew each other, so she thought I would be able to capture his personality.
“I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to have been asked to be the sculptor commissioned to create a fitting monument to the entertainment legend that is Roy Hudd.
“A charming, intelligent and funny man who I was very lucky to have met at the unveiling of my Gracie Fields statue in 2018.”
Debbie writes along with the fundraiser: “There was a little less laughter in the world when Roy Hudd died in 2020. He brought a lot of pleasure to many people of all ages through his work as a performer.
‘Throughout his 64-year career, he never forgot his roots and what difficult times it had been for him and his grandmother (who never complained) as a child growing up in Croydon.
‘He always wanted to do something for those who, for whatever reason, needed a little help. Not only did he donate to many charities including Barnardo’s, Shelter, Cancer UK and The Dog Trust to name just a few. But he gave what I think was his most precious asset: his time.
Now, Debbie Hudd is fighting for a sculpture in Roy’s likeness to be built outside the Theater Royal in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (pictured with aspiring sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn)
Sean, 56, is known for creating the bronze statue of England football manager Sir Alf Ramsey, who led the 1966 World Cup team to victory, outside the Portman Road stadium in Ipswich.
‘Whether it’s putting on a show or attending an event to help raise funds. He always said, “We have the privilege of doing a job we love, if we can use it to help others, that’s wonderful.”
“He brought joy to others throughout his working life, so I would love it if we could show our appreciation for a kind, generous and talented man by raising money for a Bronze statue of Roy.”
“Not on top of a pedestal, certainly not Roy, he will be sitting on a bench where you can join him for a half-time ice cream or gin and tonic, hopefully at the Theater Royal Bury St Edmunds, a theater he loved , greeting new audiences for years to come.
“Thank you, Debbie.”
Roy’s career spanned seven decades, beginning as a Butlin’s redcoat and then doing stand-up comedy and starring in countless films, musicals and plays.
He also presented BBC Radio 2’s The News Huddlines for 26 years alongside his brilliant showbiz career.
Roy was an authority on the history of music hall entertainment and made his last television appearance the year before his death as a patient on the BBC program Casualty.
To donate to Debbie’s statue appeal, visit https://www.theroyhuddstatueappeal.co.uk/donations