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Friday Night Dinner: Tamsin Greig pays touching tribute to Paul Ritter: ‘We all miss him terribly’

Ritter died in April at the age of 54

Clémence Michallon
Friday 28 May 2021 22:35 BST
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Friday Night Dinner, Chernobyl and Bond: Paul Ritter's best performances

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Tamsin Greig has paid a moving tribute to her former Friday Night Dinner co-star Paul Ritter.

Greig, who portrayed Jackie Goodman (the wife of Ritter’s Martin Goodman) in the sitcom, shared the message on Friday as part of the documentary special Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years And a Lovely Bit of Squirrel.

Ritter died in April this year at the age of 54 of a brain tumour.

“I’m sure you know that very recently we lost our dear and most cherished friend Paul Ritter who plays Martin Goodman in Friday Night Dinner. We all miss him terribly,” Greig said, calling Ritter “an incredible actor, a true friend and a lovely human being”.

The special was filmed before Ritter’s death, meaning he was able to participate. Greig discussed his decision to do so in her tribute, telling viewers: “Sadly at the time of making the documentary, Paul was pretty unwell and to be honest – and don’t tell the producers this – but I did try and persuade him not to do the interview.

“But it is testament to Paul’s courage and generosity and dignity and complete lack of vanity that he wanted to participate in the documentary, to do an interview, and to really celebrate this little world that he’s been a part of and that he’s enjoyed so much over the years.”

Greig added: “So I know that Paul would want us all to sit back and laugh and enjoy this celebration of the FND universe and say, as we do, in his memory, ‘Shalom.’”

Friday Night Dinner aired for six seasons between 2011 and 2020 on Channel 4. The documentary special marks 10 years since it was first broadcast.

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