Keith Peacock (lost footage of fatal filming accident; 1966)

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Keith Peacock.

Status: Lost

On 1st November 1966, stuntman Keith Peacock was involved in filming a scene for the BBC police drama Softly, Softly. He was tasked to fall off a ladder backwards onto a set of mattresses. The stunt ended in tragedy as the back of Peacock's head instead collided with the concrete ground, resulting in his death from cerebral contusion. It is known that the incident was captured on camera and later shown at an inquest.

Background

38-year-old Keith Peacock resided in Paddington, London.[1] Before becoming a stuntman, Peacock had played for the football club Eastbourne United, contributing towards the team's 1954-55 Sussex County League title glory.[2][3] Post-football career, Peacock enjoyed a six-year stint as a stuntman and became a member of the Stuntmen's Guild.[4] He garnered a reputation for his commitment to filming especially challenging stunts.[5][1] This included crashing a car at 70mph, which he conducted without suffering a scratch.[6] He recorded scenes for such films as Casino Royale and Hammer Films' The Plague of the Zombies,[7] and had appeared on multiple BBC programmes.[1][6] At some point, he had married his wife Norma though the pair had separated since at least 1966.[8][4]

Peacock was contacted to perform a stunt for the BBC police drama Softly, Softly on 1st November 1966.[9][6][1] He substituted for the actor David Scheuer, whose character, Barry, was a drug addict who gained illegal entry into a pharmaceutical drugs factory.[10][6][1] The episode was also directed by Philip Dudley;[11] these credits notably contradict a claim by the 1st November 1966 issue of Manchester Evening News, which insisted that filming commenced for "Inside Out", broadcast the following day.[5] Inside Out was in reality directed by Leonard Lewis and did not feature Scheuer.[12] Instead, it is believed Peacock's stunt was intended for "Heart of Brass", broadcast on 7th December 1966 and whose narrative was centred around drug addiction.[13][10]

The Fall

The stunt took place at the General Industrial Paint factory at Wadsworth Road, Perivale in West London.[4] It began with Scheuer ascending a ladder placed against a 14-foot wall before he was replaced by the stuntman, who would then fall off the top rung.[4][8][6] According to Peacock's agent Denton Gray, it was a "very simple stunt" for his experienced client.[6] Peacock was paid £30 for the scene,[6] worth £474 when adjusted for 2024 inflation.[14] Dudley recalled Peacock elected to fall backwards from the ladder.[11][4] The stuntman worked with assistant floor manager Jane Southern to provide the necessary props to cushion his fall. Initially, Southern gathered two mattresses for the stunt. However, Peacock determined that more equipment was needed and thus opted to bring an additional two mattresses and 15 boxes.[8][11][4]

With this, Peacock carried out the stunt at 1:50 am.[8][11][4] The stunt ended in disaster as the back of Peacock's head missed the mattresses and instead hit the concrete floor.[1][2] In a subsequent inquest, which began on 3rd November and concluded on the 17th that same month,[15] deputy coroner Dr. David M. Paul suggested that the failed stunt was likely caused by improper mattress placement or Peacock pushing himself too far backwards.[8][4] Regardless, Peacock suffered numerous fractures to both sides of his skull and a two-inch graze at the back of his head.[8] He was promptly taken to the Central Middlesex Hospital but died at 5:20 am during an emergency operation.[1] An autopsy conducted by Dr David Bowen confirmed Peacock passed away from a cerebral contusion, caused by his fractured skull.[15]

Following his passing, tributes were paid to Peacock. Gary described him as "one of the best in the business". His colleague and close friend Les White recalled how Peacock greatly prioritised safety when conducting often complex and highly dangerous stunts.[6] In the inquest, footage of the incident was shown to a jury. It was not admitted as evidence, but Dr Paul stated it would assist the jury "with regard to the circumstances".[8][11] After deliberating through testimonies and the precautions Peacock took before the stunt, the eight-man jury determined that Peacock's death was accidental.[4][8][11]

Availability

According to a BBC spokesman, the ladder scene would be fully cut from Heart of Brass and the script slightly modified in the wake of Peacock's passing.[16][5][6] Heart of Brass is itself lost media, with Kaleidoscope reporting that the majority of Softly, Softly episodes from its first five series were wiped.[17] Footage of Peacock's final stunt was shown in the inquest,[4][8][11] though it is unclear whether the BBC or the British court system still possess a copy of it. Out of respect for Peacock and his relatives, the recording will likely never be shown to the public.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1st November 1966 issue of Reading Evening Post reporting on Peacock's fatal accident that occurred earlier that day (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 1). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2nd November 1966 issue of Eastbourne Gazette reporting on the death of Peacock and summarising his football career (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 28). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  3. ↑ Non League Matters detailing the 1920-1960 Sussex County League tables. Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 23rd November 1966 issue of Eastbourne Gazette reporting on the inquest surrounding Peacock's death and his experience as a stuntman (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 23). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 1st November 1966 issue of Manchester Evening News reporting on Peacock's death and the BBC's confirmation the scene would be cut (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 1). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 2nd November 1966 issue of The Daily Mirror reporting on the accident and noting the scene would be cut from the episode (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 3). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  7. ↑ Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company summarising the career of Peacock (p.g. 624). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 25th November 1966 issue of Middlesex County Times reporting on the inquest and noting that footage of the fatal accident was shown to the jury (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 20). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  9. ↑ Nostalgia Central summarising Softly, Softly. Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 BBC Genome archive of Radio Times issues detailing the broadcast of the Softly, Softly episode "Heart of Brass". Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 18th November 1966 issue of Western Daily Press reporting on the inquest, the fact the film was shown to the jury, and Philip Dudley's comments surrounding it (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 8). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  12. ↑ BBC Genome archive of Radio Times listings detailing the Softly, Softly episode "Inside Out". Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  13. ↑ 8th December 1966 issue of Reading Evening Post review of "Heart of Brass", said to revolve around the topic of drug addiction (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 2). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  14. ↑ Based on inflation data via the Bank of England's Inflation Calculator. Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 5th November 1966 issue of Eastbourne Herald reporting on the beginning of the inquest surrounding Peacock and his cause of death (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 1). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  16. ↑ 2nd November 1966 issue of Liverpool Daily Post reporting on a BBC spokesman's comments that the ladder scene would be cut following the death of Peacock (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 3). Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
  17. ↑ Kaleidoscope listing the missing episodes of Softly, Softly, including Heart of Brass. Retrieved 22nd Oct '24
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