A vintage page from an autograph album signed in person by Richard Beckinsale (1947 - 1979), the deceased English actor best remembered as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge (along with its sequel series Going Straight), and as Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp. Having made his television debut in 1969, as a police officer arresting Ena Sharples in Coronation Street, he landed his first starring role as Geoffrey in the sitcom The Lovers (1970–71), opposite fellow newcomer Paula Wilcox. In his final television comedy Bloomers (the five completed episodes of which aired in 1979) he played Stan, an out-of-work actor who takes a job as a partner at a flower shop. He was killed by a heart attack before the sixth and final episode of the series could be recorded. He is the father of actresses Samantha and Kate Beckinsale.