Peter Sallis has died, aged 96.

Very sad news indeed this evening. Peter Sallis, famous for playing Norman Clegg in Last of the summer Wine, has died at the age of 96. He also provided the voice for Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit animations.

Sallis was the only person to appear in every episode of Last of the summer wine, and indeed spoke the very last line in both the pilot episode, and the final episode. He was the last surviving member of the original trio of men, Michael Bates died in the 1980s, and Bill Owen in 1999.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40165443

Very sad news.

Does seem that the Wallace & Gromit franchise will now come to an end. Unless they can find a very similar voice actor. Would be nice if BBC1 could slot in a Wallace & Gromit somewhere in the schedules though it's obviously a very tightly packed schedule this week what with the terror attacks and the impending election.

Very sad news. Nick Park said Peter Sallis was his one and only choice for Wallace, so it seems unlikely that Wallace and Gromit will continue.

To be fair, its been 10 year since the last W&G

They've had a replacement who's voiced Wallace in various adverts and the 2012 prom: Ben Whitehead.


Also, Aardman co-founder Peter Lord said last month that he "absolutely assumes" there will be more W&G - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/aardmans-peter-lord-absolutely-assumes-will-be-more-wallace-gromit-1000178

There no reason the W&G franchise should come to end if they want to make more. They need to get a better voice than the last one used though. Walace should sound like Walace.

I'm a big fan of Wallace and Gromit, but having said that, I don't think it should continue now. Even if they found an actor with a similar voice, it just wouldn't be the same. Peter Sallis is too closely associated with Wallace for it to work with anyone else.

It would have been a bit like Orville continuing after Keith Harris died, which wouldn't have been the same and wouldn't have worked.

I think now is the right time to retire it. Why risk spoiling the reputation and memories of a great show?

To be honest, I think it can work. Look at The Muppets after Jim Henson died, Scooby-Doo after Casey Kasem or Mickey Mouse after Walt Disney.

Mickey Mouse wasn't exclusively voiced by Disney; other people did it as well while he was still alive. Same for Kasem. The Muppets is the exception in your examples, a lot of what Henson voiced ultimately went to Steve Whitmere after he died.

Or Taggart when Taggart died.