Russ Abbot living as a recluse ‘because his shows no longer air’, claims Les Dennis

Veteran comedian Russ Abbot is said to be ‘hurt’ his hit shows no longer grace TV screens across the country and has given up on showbiz completely, according to pal Les Dennis

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Russ Abbot attends ‘The King and I’ gala night in 2018

Russ Abbot, 75, has reportedly become a recluse due to his hit shows no longer airing on TV.

Les Dennis claims the comedian has “given up now” and become “a bit disillusioned” with the showbiz world so doesn’t work anymore.

The former Family Fortunes host, 69, who worked with Russ on various projects over the years, is said to have declared it outrageous his friend has been forgotten about given how good his comedy output was.

Russ rose to fame during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, before going one to become one of TV’s biggest comic acts throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Les Dennis says his pal Russ Abbot likes abroad these days (

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ITV/REX/Shutterstock) The Russ Abbot isn’t repeated on channels like Gold or Dave (

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ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The Russ Abbot Show, which ran across BBC One and ITV from 1980 to 1996, was watched by millions across the country and even spawned two comic book-inspired annuals.

But while shows from the same time period like Only Fools and Horses and Porridge are often repeated on various TV channels, The Russ Abbot Show very rarely gets an outing on our screens these days.

“Russ’ shows are not on Dave or Gold, or anything. You can only find them on YouTube,” Les explains on the Chatabix podcast, according to the Daily Star.

Les was full of praise for his pal when chatting about the comedian’s career (

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Getty) Russ was often on the TV throughout the 80s and 90s (

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Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

“Russ has kind of given up now. I think he got a little bit disillusioned.

“He doesn’t work anymore. He lives in Portugal most of the time and he plays golf.”

The publication goes on to note Les telling comedians Joe Wilkinson & David Earl it’s “an outrage” Les’ work doesn’t get repeated and argues new generations of comedy lovers are missing out on some iconic British gags.

The Russ Abbot Show was adored by a generation of comedy lovers (

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Getty Images)

The Russ Abbot Show ran for 16 years on television before moving over to Radio 2 for a further five years and its various line-ups included Susie Blake, Sherrie Hewson, Jeffrey Holland, Patti Gold, and Michael Barrymore, as well as Russ’ friend Les.

Les recalls how the late Barry Cryer, who also worked with comics ike Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker, wrote some of the best gags in British comedy history for The Russ Abbot Show.

“Barry would be the script associate and editor and people would send in sketches and new writers would be found as well,” Les remembers when chatting about the show.

Comedy fans are ‘missing out’ on some classic gags, Les claims (

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Getty Images)

Russ’ most recent appearances on TV came between 2014 and 2016 when he co-starred in the BBC sitcom Boomers.

The dad-of-four has also appeared in a number of theatre productions over recent years, including in 2009 when he stepped in to play Fagin when Rowan Atkinson fell ill during the original run of Cameron Mackintosh’s West End revival of Oliver!

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