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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Where are Friday Night Dinner stars now - tragic death and Vick Hope romance

It's been over a decade since Friday Night Dinner first graced our television screens - going on to become one of the nation's favourite comedies throughout it's run on Channel 4 from 2011 until 2020.

The Goodmans hilarious antics left millions of us in stitches, with each episode focusing on the British Jewish family's attempts to have a civilised weekly meal - often with unexpected guests making a cameo during their attempts to dine together.

On Wednesday [September 14], it was announced actor and director Harry Landis - who played Mr. Morris in the award-winning Channel 4 sitcom - passed away earlier in the week at the age of 90.

As the late actor's co-stars and loved ones pay tribute to him, we take a look at what the rest of the cast of Friday Night Dinner are up to these days, two years on from the sixth series drawing to a close in 2020.

Tamsin Greig - Jackie

Tamsin took on the role of the stressed mum in Friday Night Dinner (This picture may be used solely for Channel 4 programme publicity purposes in connection with the current broadcast of the progr)

Three-time BAFTA-nominated actress Tamsin Greig amused Friday Night Dinner fans, as she took on the role of matriarch Jackie Goodman and tried to keep her dysfunctional family in check over the years.

She's had to fend off the advances of creepy neighbour Jim, who once tried to play the keyboard on her jumper, and make sure husband Martin keeps his shirt on.

The talented actress rose to fame in Channel 4 comedies Black Books and Green Wing as Dr Caroline Todd. Along with Green Wing co-star Simon Mangan she starred in BBC sitcom Episodes along with Friends actor Matt LeBlanc.

The actress looks very different to her character in real life (Grabs Channel 4)

Friday Night Dinner viewers may not instantly recognise Tamsin away from the show, thanks to the Laurence Olivier Award winner sporting a very different hairstyle than the dark bob her on-screen alter-ego sported on the Channel 4 show.

Tamsin is married to fellow English actor Richard Leaf, after first meeting her husband at a wrap party of Neil Gaiman's 1996 miniseries Neverwhere, and the happy couple live together in London with their three children.

Paul Ritter - Martin

The late actor was a fan favourite with Friday Night Dinner viewers (Channel 4)

Paul Ritter, who had us all laughing with Martin's classic catchphrases "s*** on it", "bambinos" and "lovely bit of squirrel Jackie", sadly passed in April 2021 at the age of 54 after battling a brain tumour.

Paying tribute to her on-screen husband at the time, Tamsin wrote: "I am eternally grateful that our paths crossed. His kindness, attention to detail and phenomenal memory, his passion for music and football, his devotion to his beautiful family, his complete inability to accept a compliment, and his quiet, loyal, compassionate friendship will stay with me for ever.

"The world is a less brilliant place without Paul in it. Go lightly, my friend. You are deeply beloved."

Aside from his comedy work, Paul had been a staple on television since the nineties and has appeared in a host of shows including The Bill, Vera and Chernobyl.

The talented actor had also worked alongside Daniel Craig as the character Guy Haines in Quantum Of Solace and appeared in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.

In real life, Paul, who played dad Martin in every episode of Friday Night Dinner, was also a doting dad to two boys, Frank and Noah, who he had with wife Polly.

Simon Bird - Adam

The actor was already well-known thanks to his role on The Inbetweeners (Channel 4 TV)

After becoming a household name thanks to stint on The Inbetweeners, Simon Bird won a new legion of fans when he portrayed Adam, the youngest son in the Goodman family, on Friday Night Dinner.

The character isn't too far off actor Simon's most famous creation, briefcase-carrying Will Mckenzie from his other hit Channel 4 series.

Away from his comedy acting, the star co-created, co-written, and co-starred in a pilot, Chickens, for Channel 4, about three men who remain in England during World War I, and appeared on the West End in The Philanthropist in 2017.

The actor is happily married in real life (JN Visuals)

In his personal life, he married Lisa Owens in 2012, after first meeting at Cambridge University, and the happy couple share two children together.

Shortly after Paul's death, on-screen son Simon paid tribute to the late star.

"I think I'll always aspire to be like Paul. I guess that'll happen when someone pretends to be your Dad for 10 years," Simon said in his tribute.

He added: "I feel unbelievably fortunate to have spent so much time in that green room and hope his real bambinos know how much his fake bambinos loved and looked up to him."

Tom Rosenthal - Jonny

Jonny got into lots of scrapes on Friday Night Dinner (Channel 4)

Eldest son Jonny was the joker of the family and constantly trying to play pranks on his brother - usually involving salt in his drinks.

The estate agent had a very strange love life, once getting into a relationship with his much older boss and getting married to an American girl he had only just met.

In real life, actor Tom Rosenthal has famous family connections and a very well-known ex-girlfriend.

Vick and Tom dated from 2013 until 2017 (Getty Images Europe)
The actor at Gillian Lynne Theatre last year (Getty Images)

The comedian's mum is former Newsnight producer Chrissy Smith and his dad is TV sports presenter Jim Rosenthal.

Tom dated Radio 1 DJ Vick Hope - who is now engaged to Calvin Harris - for four years, before calling time on their relationship in 2018 before the presenter's stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

Aside from Friday Night Dinner, Tom has played Marcus in ITV2 comedy Plebs and Private Pike in Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes.

Mark Heap - Jim

Everyone's favourite strange neighbour, Jim (Channel 4)

Jim is the Goodman's strange neighbour who always turns up during their Friday Night Dinner.

Never alone, Jim rocked up with his faithful dog Wilson, who he was weirdly scared of and tragically died at the end of season 5.

Before he was shouting "bye all", actor Mark Heap rose to fame as pompous Dr Alan Statham in Green Wing alongside Tamsin Greig.

A major TV star, Mark has starred in Skins, Lark Rise to Candleford, Upstart Crow and Benidorm

He has also had a successful film career, appearing as a torch juggler in James Bond flick Octopussy, a teacher in About A Boy and a Man with Dog in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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