The triumph and tragedy of Tony Slattery

Tony Slattery was outrageously funny. And he was funny because he was outrageous. The actor and comedian, who died yesterday aged 65, may have belonged to that unhappy category of performers who were ‘troubled’ – tormented by insecurities and afflicted by addiction – but he also joins that distinguished pantheon of entertainers who made their mark for their rude and bawdy humour.

Slattery first came to public attention in the late-1980s as a panellist on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is Anyway?, a programme that entailed playing out scenes in the style of a movie, programme or genre decided by the audience or the host, Clive Anderson. It was no mean feat that he became a main attraction of the show (his cherubic good looks and soulful, dark eyes did help). After all, he was pitted alongside and against some of the most imposing talents of the time: the versatile Josie Lawrence, the erudite John Sessions and the lugubrious everyman Paul Merton.