Fans of the legendary BBC sitcom Bread mourned the loss of their biggest star this week: veteran actress Jean Boht died aged 91.
The hugely popular show was set in the heart of Liverpool and documented the mixed fortunes of the working-class Boswell family during a period of mass unemployment in the 1980s.
Boht, who struggled with dementia before her death on September 12, played the no-nonsense family matriarch Nellie Boswell – a character famous for the recurring catchphrase “She’s a bitch!”
News of her death has since sparked an outpouring of tributes to the actress and fond memories of the show, which ran for seven series on BBC1 between 1986 and 1991.
But what about the remaining cast members of the series? Read on to find out more about its stars, 33 years after they last met for dinner at the Boswell family home on Elswick Street.
Tragic: Fans of the legendary BBC sitcom Bread mourned the loss of their biggest star this week with the death of veteran actress Jean Boht at the age of 91
Iconic: Set in the heart of Liverpool, the show documented the mixed fortunes of the working-class Boswell family during a period of mass unemployment in the 1980s
Legendary: (LR) Original cast Gilly Coman, Jean Boht, Kenneth Waller, Nick Conway, Ronald Forfar, Sharon Byatt, Rita Tushingham, Johnathan Morris, Charles Lawson and Peter Howitt
FREDDIE BOSWELL – RONALD FORFAR
Wild hair and wild heart: Ronald Forfar, left, in his role as Freddie Boswell. The actor died in 2020
Ronald Forfar would forever be known thanks to his character’s wild hair, bushy mustache and prominent role in the series.
In fact, Nellie’s wayward husband Freddie was constantly pecked at by chickens throughout the 74-episode series, not least because of his relationship with “that sour” Lilo Lill.
He told the Express in 2015: “I still look similar to Freddie Boswell, so people react when they see me, but it’s a friendly reaction.”
The actor moved to France in 1997, where he renovated a farmhouse in Normandy, before moving to Paris for a role in the 2000 period drama Vatel, in which he starred alongside Gérard Depardieu.
Forfar returned to England in 2004, where he turned to writing screenplays, stories and novels.
He died in 2020 at the age of 81.
JOEY BOSWELL-PETER HOWITT
Mamas favorite! The fast-talking Joey Boswell was a huge hit with the show’s female viewers
A nice engine and an eye for the ladies; Joey Boswell was the heartthrob of the series. Joey was played by Peter Howitt, who directed the 2012 Hollywood film Reasonable Doubt starring Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson
Say Cheese: Nick Conway, Victor McGuire, Jean Boht, Peter Howitt and Jonathan Morris pose for a photo while filming exterior scenes on the set of Bread
Actor Peter Howitt was replaced by a less blonde Joey after just two years, but for many the original was the best.
Nellie’s favorite Joey was cool, calm and almost always wore a black leather jacket. Lane may have mischievously implied that he was a male companion.
The now 66-year-old actor Peter Howitt, father of two children, started his career in Hollywood as director of “Sliding Doors” and the thriller “Reasonable Doubt” (2012) starring Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson.
He currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.
JACK BOSWELL-VICTOR MCGUIRE
I recognize him! Victor McGuire played the troubled Jack Boswell and went on to star in shows like Peak Practice and even Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
As Jack Boswell, Victor McGuire, now 59, celebrated his big breakthrough on the small screen with “Bread” and appeared regularly on television and in British theater productions.
This was followed by “Goodnight Sweetheart” and a number of stage and film roles, including “Peak Practice” and Guy Ritchie’s “Lock, Stock” and “Two Smoking Barrels”.
From 2012 to 2017 he played security guard Ian in the popular Sky sitcom Trollied.
Coronation Street fans will also remember his fleeting role as Big Garth in a February 2019 episode of the soap.
ADRIAN BOSWELL-JONATHAN MORRIS
Actor Jonathan Morris took on the role of Adrian, who had a more sophisticated charisma than his siblings; The actor showed off long blonde locks while appearing in panto in Liverpool in 2012
He was the most sensitive of the Boswells, with a delicate disposition and an eye for a nice suit.
The actor behind him, Lancashire-born Jonathan Morris, played mostly stage roles after Bread.
Now 63, Morris’ career has faded somewhat with an appearance on the reality TV show “The Games” in 2005. In 2013 he played the Jester in a Liverpool pantomime.
AVELINE BOSWELL-GILLY COLMAN/MELANIE HILL
Two actresses played the role of Aveline, the red-haired girl from the town. Melanie Hill, seen on the left as Aveline and on the right in a newer take, has continued to secure prime-time television roles
Flame-haired Aveline was originally played by Gilly Coman until she was replaced by Sunderland’s Melanie Hill in the 1988 Christmas special.
The overprotected daughter had to wear a pipe around her neck and aspired to become a priest until she married the Protestant priest Oswald.
Gilly Coman appeared in a number of soaps and television shows, including Coronation Street and Emmerdale, but died of a heart attack in 2010, aged 54.
Melanie Hill, now 61, also played the city girl and continues to enjoy a high-profile television career, most recently in BBC One school series Waterloo Road and BBC series The Syndicate.
At the height of her bread career, she dated and married Sean Bean. The couple had two daughters, Lorna and Molly. They divorced in 2007.
She then played Cathy Matthews in Coronation Street before leaving the soap in 2022, while appearing regularly on daytime chat show Loose Women.
BILLY BOSWELL-NICK CONWAY
The hair is the same! Our Billy is now 54 years old, but the role of Billy Boswell remains Nick Conway’s biggest role to date
The baby of the group, Billy Boswell, was the youngest and also the dumbest, often getting into trouble because of his lack of worldly wisdom.
But the actor who played him, Nick Conway, arguably peaked with this role.
Since “Bread” went off the air, the actor has made fleeting appearances in series such as “Sharpe’s Justice,” “The Bill” and “Coronation Street.” His last known role was in an episode of the daytime soap “Doctors.”
Conway, now 60, works as an actor, DJ and voice actor.
LILO LILL-EILEEN POLLOCK
Eileen Pollock played Lilo Lill, Nellie Boswell’s nemesis, who was always referred to as “TART” by the matriarch
In truth, Lilo Lill was little more than a supporting player in Bread, her presence made all the more impressive by Nellie’s extreme reaction to the mere mention of her name, often eliciting the response, “She’s a whore!”
Belfast-born actress Eileen Pollock later starred in Taggart and The Bill. She also took on small roles in the iconic Irish film “Angela’s Ashes” and the Hollywood blockbuster “Far and Away” and continued to work steadily after the show went off the air.
She died in December 2020 at the age of 73. The actress is survived by her sister Natalie, her two nieces Sarah and Deborah, two great-nephews and two great-nieces.
GRANDPA – KENNETH WALLER
Is my tea ready? Kenneth Waller was the man behind Grandad, constantly asking about his dinner
The curse of some Boswell children’s lives was the expectation that they would frequently bring Grandpa his lunch.
Kenneth Waller died in 2000 after a short illness at the age of 72. His other key roles included the role of old Mr. Grace in Are You Being Served?