JOHN CHALLIS’ EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

Challis, who has died aged 79, was born in Bristol in 1942 but moved to south-east London with his parents when he was one.

His father was a civil servant from Sheffield while his mother, who harboured dreams of becoming an actress, oversaw plays for youth clubs.

After a brief and unsuccessful attempt at becoming an estate agent, Challis set his sights on a career in the arts.

One of his early roles was as Sergeant Culshaw in police procedural Z-Cars, which he thought was of no interest to his father.

It was only years later that he found out from a family friend how proud his father was. They later shared a rare moment of personal affection.

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