Editing Bill Maynard (section)

==Early life and career==
Walter Williams began as a variety performer in the 1950s, under the stage name of Bill Maynard {{snd}} the surname was inspired from seeing a billboard for the popular British confectionery, [[Maynards|Maynard's Wine Gums]], when he was to do performances for the [[BBC]].<ref>On the 15 October 2010 episode of ''[[the Alan Titchmarsh Show]]''.</ref> Maynard progressed to repertory theatre, touring army camps with [[Jon Pertwee]]. Maynard's first television broadcast was on 12 September 1953 on [[Henry Hall (bandleader)|Henry Hall]]'s ''Face the Music''. For much of his career until the 1970s, his work was mostly towards performances: he entered and placed fourth in the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957|British heat of the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest]]; he worked alongside [[Terry Scott]] for the TV series ''[[Great Scott – It's Maynard!]]'', after they worked together at [[Butlins]] [[Holiday Camp]] in [[Skegness]];<ref name="Where are they now?">{{cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/552118/Heartbeat-actor-Bill-Maynard |newspaper=Daily Express|title=Where are they now? Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard |date=17 January 2015 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> and he served as part of the news team on the ''One O'Clock Show'' for [[Tyne Tees Television]] in [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] (1959–64). He also served for [[BBC Radio Leicester]] during the 1960s, until his departure in 1968.

In 1971, Maynard entered into acting, securing a role on [[Dennis Potter]]'s television play ''Paper Roses'', which was about the last day in the life of a reporter, and then securing another role for [[Colin Welland]]'s television play, ''[[Kisses at Fifty]]'' in 1973. Around the same year, he worked with television actor and comedian [[Ronnie Barker]] in the (original) "Football Blues", which aired as "Spanners Eleven", and was part of a series called ''[[Seven of One]]''. In 1974, Maynard became a subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'', when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].<ref name="After 60 years">{{cite news |url=http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/BIG-INTERVIEW-60-years-Maynard-laugh-critics/story-19801055-detail/story.html |newspaper=Leicester Mercury |title=After 60 years, Bill Maynard has last laugh on his critics |date=16 September 2013 |access-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027090504/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/BIG-INTERVIEW-60-years-Maynard-laugh-critics/story-19801055-detail/story.html |archive-date=27 October 2013 }}</ref> Around the same time, Maynard went to work for [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]], starring in a pilot episode for a new sitcom. In 1975, he published his autobiography, ''The Yo-Yo Man'', with [[Leicester]]'s Golden Eagle books.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Maynard|first1=Bill|title=The Yo-Yo Man: The Autobiography of Bill Maynard|date=1975|publisher=Golden Eagle Press|location=London|isbn=0901482218}}</ref> Also in 1975 he appeared in ''[[The Sweeney]]'' episode ''Supersnout'' in which he played Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Quirk of the [[Metropolitan Police]]'s [[Flying Squad]] being the subject of a conspiracy by Joey Stickley, a dirty and weasley [[informant]] who attempts to ruin his reputation. After a pilot episode in 1974, Maynard took on the lead role in the sitcom ''[[Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt]]'' for three series, followed by its sequel ''[[Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt|Selwyn]]'' for one series, between 1976 and 1978. The Selwyn Froggitt role made Maynard a nationwide household name. In 1980, Maynard appeared in three episodes of ''[[Worzel Gummidge (TV series)|Worzel Gummidge]]'' as Sergeant Beetroot, alongside long-time friend Jon Pertwee.

In 1981, Maynard starred in three series of the ITV sitcom ''[[The Gaffer (TV series)|The Gaffer]]'' until its conclusion two years later in 1983. In ''The Gaffer'', Maynard played Fred Moffat, a downbeat, cynical and cunning character focused on survival who runs a struggling engineering firm, and who is constantly trying to avoid his creditors, the tax man, the bank manager, trade unionists at his engineering firm, and indeed seeking to avoid anyone who might want him to pay for something. The character of Fred Moffat was in contrast to the high profile, upbeat, good hearted, bumbling, casual labourer Selwyn Froggitt from his earlier sitcom, with the contrasts between the two even going as far as Fred Moffat having a beard and Selwyn Froggitt being clean shaven.

During the 1970s, Maynard secured roles in a number of films: he starred in five of the ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' films, including ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' (1972) and ''[[Carry On Dick]]'' (1974).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7vPDQAAQBAJ&q=bill+maynard+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=RA5-PA1836|title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781526111968}}</ref> He starred as Mr. Lea alongside [[Anthony Booth]], [[Robin Askwith]] and [[Doris Hare]] in all four films in the ''Confessions'' series of [[sex comedy|sex comedies]] and appeared in the 1976 film ''[[It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet]]''.

In April 1992, he returned to Yorkshire Television as [[lovable rogue]] Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'', a new ITV drama series set in the 1960s. It was a major success, consistently drawing over 10 million viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/niamh-cusack/person/79316/biography.html|title=Niamh Cusack|work=TV.com|access-date=27 May 2015}}</ref> Maynard published a new book, ''Stand Up...And Be Counted'', in 1997 with Breedon Books.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Maynard|first1=Bill|last2=Sheard|first2=John|title=Stand Up and Be Counted|date=1997|publisher=Breedon Books|location=Derby|isbn=9781859830802}}</ref> He remained with ''Heartbeat'' until December 2000, when he decided to retire from the programme following a series of [[Cerebrovascular accident|strokes]].<ref name="Where are they now?" /> Despite this, he returned to acting in 2002 to reprise his character in spin off series ''[[The Royal]]'' until 2003.<ref name="Where are they now?"/> Maynard made a comeback to radio in March of that year on [[BBC Radio Leicester]]. His programme ''Bill of Fare'' aired every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm for nearly five years, until he was dismissed without notice on 5 February 2008.<ref name="Where are they now?"/>

In October 2009, he made a return to the stage when he appeared as the main guest of honour at the Pride of [[Bridlington]] Awards held in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]].<ref name="Bridlington Free Press">{{cite news |url=http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/news/local/pride_awards_honoured_caring_and_amazing_people_1_1732792 |title=Local Pride awards honoured 'caring and amazing people' |date=5 November 2009 |work=Bridlington Free Press |access-date=12 January 2011}}</ref> By then, his career slowly wound down due to his age and impaired mobility from his strokes, whereupon his final television appearance was made on 14 April 2018 for an episode of ''[[Pointless Celebrities]]''; filming took place prior to his death, while the episode aired 15 days after his death.