RICHARD BECKINSALE, ACTOR
6 JULY 1947 – 19 MARCH 1979

Richard and I met in Nottingham the early 1960’s.  He was a student by day and a folk singer by night.

I was a secretary working for a bank.

We fell in love, married, had a baby daughter and moved to London in order for him to follow his dream of being an actor.

His dream of “making people laugh”.

My book tells the story – essentially a love story – of how we coped, grew up, parted and our reconciliation.

The story is punctuated with Richard’s version of events; I use excerpts from his many handwritten letters to me to illustrate his side of our story. There are many photographs which have never been published before.  And his handwritten poems; dedicated to me, because I “inspired them”.

Shocking the country, He died suddenly in his sleep 30 years ago, on Thursday 19 March 1979, aged 31 becoming a legend of British comedy.

My book is an honest account and, I hope, evocative of the era.

I am looking for the right publisher who will want to be involved with this book.

Margaret Bradley
16 March 2009