70s TV star Steve Hodson who featured in beloved kids show Follyfoot & BBC’s All Creatures Great & Small dies aged 77
TV STAR Steve Hodson who featured on the beloved '70s kids show Follyfoot has died aged 77.
The actor starred as horseman Steve Ross in the much-loved children's show and also appeared in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small.
His death was announced in a post on a Follyfoot Facebook group that read: "We have had a very sad update from Steve Hodson’s daughter Jessica.
"Steve passed away last night after a long battle with COPD.
"That’s one brighter star you’ll see in the heavens from now on.
"Much love to all his family at this awful time. So sad."
Cherished TV series Follyfoot was inspired by the 1963 Monica Dickens novel Cobbler's Dream and follows three young people working at a horse rescue centre.
Viewers watched on in awe as the trio would find themselves on adventures across the gorgeous countryside, with scenes filmed around the Harewood estate between Harrogate and Leeds.
The show's memorable theme song, The Lightning Tree performed by the Settlers, became a Top 40 hit single in the UK.
Steve found himself alongside Dora Maddocks, played by Gillian Blake, and the more rebellious Ron Stryker, played by Christian Rodska, after being unfairly sacked from the nearby stables of the local squire.
The horse rescue centre, owned by Dora's uncle, played by the late-great Desmond Llewellyn, is a retirement home for unwanted or badly treated horses and acts as the central hub for the storylines.
Many viewers regarded Follyfoot as a more realistic and touching than the TV version of Black Beauty, which was running around the same time.
Hodson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on November 5, 1947.
His career began after he won a place a the Central School of Speech and Drama in London while working as a civil servant in Bradford.
Stage appearances were followed by TV features, with the actor appearing in The Grievance and The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes.
Hodson first interviewed for the role of Steve in Follyfoot in 1971 but was initially unsuccessful.
While another actor was employed, luck played into Hodson's hands as they were later dismissed and he landed the part.
He appeared in all three series of its run from 1971 to 1973, with a Steve Hodson fan club emerging from his success.
The multi-talented actor also released a single called Crystal Bay in January 1973, written by the Bee Gees' Maurice Gibb and songwriter Billy Lawrie.
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