Latest news with #Settlers
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Huckabee demands Israel 'aggressively investigate' murder of Palestinian American killed in 'terrorist act'
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, on Tuesday called on Israeli authorities to "aggressively investigate" the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American who was reportedly beaten to death by a gang of extremist settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil on Friday. "We have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death in the West Bank," Huckabee wrote on X. "There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was only 20 years old." According to the family, Musallet was visiting the West Bank from Tampa, Florida, to reconnect with relatives and visit family-owned farmland. "This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face," the family said in a statement. "We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes." Israeli military officials said the confrontation began when Palestinians threw rocks at settlers, lightly injuring two. IDF forces were deployed to the area and used non-lethal crowd control methods, the army said. So far, no Israeli suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings. Two Israeli minors detained on Friday night for suspected involvement in public disturbances were later released to house arrest. A reserve soldier questioned by the military police over the shooting during the incident was also released. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Musallet was fatally beaten during an attack by settlers in the area. Another man, 23-year-old Mohammed al-Shalabi, was shot in the chest and also killed during the same incident. Sources in the Israeli police told Haaretz newspaper that the lack of an autopsy and the fact that the bodies were not transferred to Israeli authorities may complicate the investigation. A military court also released Abdullah Hamida, a Palestinian resident arrested during the settler raid, criticizing police conduct. During the hearing, the police representative admitted he was unaware that any Palestinians had been killed, and incorrectly claimed the only wounded were settlers. The State Department acknowledged awareness of the incident but declined further comment, Reuters reports, citing "respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Settlers With Their Sights on Gaza
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. As a chronicler of American subcultures, Louis Theroux is used to being in uncomfortable situations. But when he started to research his latest documentary—about Israeli settlers in the West Bank—what surprised him most was how open everyone was about their project, which violates international law. 'It was just shocking and strange,' Theroux told me, 'because most times, activity that feels really predatory or immoral takes place in the dark.' Some of the outposts depicted in The Settlers are illegal even under Israeli law, Theroux says—although the country's government just approved 22 additional settlements in the West Bank, in some cases retrospectively legalizing ones already established. Achieving such expansions has been the life's work of Theroux's main subject, Daniella Weiss, who is widely described as the 'godmother' of the settler movement and boasts on camera about having senior politicians on speed dial. When Theroux tells the 79-year-old that moving a civilian population into a conquered territory is considered a war crime, Weiss laughs. 'It's a light felony,' she replies. Her next target is the Gaza Strip. To Weiss, the timing seems perfect. Israel's war on Hamas has displaced a majority of the population in Gaza at least once, according to the United Nations, and Donald Trump has spoken of turning the area into the 'Riviera of the Middle East.' In America, this idea of Mar-a-Gaza has become a late-night-show punch line, but to the most hard-core Israeli settlers, retaking the Strip would be the fulfillment of a longtime dream. [Read: Nobody wants Gaz-a-Lago] The Settlers was broadcast in Britain, where I live, in late April. Within hours, bootlegged versions were circulating on X, where they racked up millions of views. This shouldn't be surprising, because many online outlets, from The Joe Rogan Experience to the start-up Zeteo, have taken a more skeptical line on Israel's war objectives than the major U.S. television networks, reflecting the views of their audiences. Theroux, who is British-American, described himself to me as 'not terrifically political,' but he has nonetheless created a damning portrait of a group of religious extremists who believe that their claim to the West Bank comes from a higher authority than any mere UN directive or international treaty. Like many of the settlers Theroux interviews in the film, Weiss believes that the Jewish homeland is her birthright. 'She embodied this emboldened settler movement, both in her outlook, the fact of how long she'd been doing it, her level of influence, the passion she projects, and her kind-of completely uninhibited quality,' he told me. Toward the end of the film, Weiss even shoves him to make a point. Were he to respond in kind, she says, people could present that clip out of context and accuse him of physically abusing a woman. The implication is that what Theroux calls 'settler violence' is merely self-defense—a natural response to Palestinian provocation. [Read: The right-wing Israeli campaign to resettle Gaza] The documentary, which recently became officially available to watch in the United States on the streaming service BBC Select, also features a number of Americans who have moved to the region to pursue what they see as a more meaningful life. One of them, Ari Abramowitz, was born in Texas and came to live in the land he calls 'Judea and Samaria' after visiting as a teenager. He now runs a farm and vacation retreat in the West Bank. 'I'm so uncomfortable using the word Palestinian,' he tells Theroux of a local Arab village, 'because I don't think it exists.' Another, a man from New York who now lives in Hebron, tells Theroux: 'Our right to be in this land is the Torah, is the godly promise. Where we don't settle, terror grows.' Both men are armed with rifles when Theroux meets them. Theroux has tackled the settlers once already, in a 2011 documentary called The Ultra Zionists, which showed a more rounded picture—both the zeal of the West Bank arrivals and the backlash they face from displaced Palestinians. (When traveling with one settler convoy, Theroux's car was pelted with rocks; a settler house he visited was later firebombed.) This new documentary feels more polemic, focusing on the demeaning daily restrictions on Palestinian life and the intensity of the Israeli military occupation. 'The architecture and infrastructure of power and domination is really interesting,' Theroux told me. 'As much as the why of the psychology, or the political outlook, is fascinating—actually, if you strip that out, there's also this extraordinary process that takes place involving walls, gates, guard towers, specially built roads. And I very much wanted to do justice to that as well.' I'm not shocked that this documentary was made by the BBC, rather than an American network. To a degree that surprises me, many Americans treat pro-Palestinian activism as a fringe leftist pursuit, irredeemably tainted by disruptive and anti-Semitic protests on college campuses. But disillusionment and anger with Israel are widespread, among both ordinary voters and ruling politicians, in Europe and other places that are otherwise friendly to America and its allies. In a December 2023 filing in the International Court of Justice, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. By October 2024, eight other countries, including Ireland and Turkey, had joined the case. In the latest YouGov sentiment tracker of six Western European countries, 'only 13–21% in any country have a favourable opinion of Israel, compared to 63–70% who have an unfavourable view.' [Listen: Mossad's former chief calls the war in Gaza 'useless'] Although only a small minority of the surveyed Europeans believed the October 7 attacks were justified, less than a quarter of respondents agreed that Israel's ongoing response is proportionate. These figures make uncomfortable reading for British Jews who abhor the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government but also recognize the existence of anti-Semitism within some parts of pro-Palestinian activism. My friend Hadley Freeman, for instance, wrote an agonized column reflecting on how the 'existence of anti-Jew hatred does not change the fact that thousands of people are dying on the Gaza strip.' In April, 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a group whose perspective is broadly pro-Israel, published an open letter condemning the war. 'Israel's soul is being ripped out,' they wrote. One inevitable criticism of The Settlers is that Theroux has unfairly focused on a fringe minority of Israelis in order to demonize the entire country, which is taking military action to respond to the October 7 attacks, rescue its remaining hostages, and protect itself from future terror plots. 'What could have possessed the BBC to make a documentary about the very worst Jews they could find?' Jake Wallis Simons, the former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, wrote after the initial broadcast on the BBC. By focusing on the 'freak show' of the viciously contested town of Hebron and demonstrating a lack of curiosity about Palestinian violence, Wallis Simons argued, the documentary showed a 'patrician, sneering perspective that in the eyes of the BBC passes for impartiality.' Theroux has indeed made a career out of interviewing extremists, weirdos, and people living marginal lifestyles. His previous subjects include swingers, porn actors, and the Westboro Baptist Church. By focusing on the hard-core settlers, is he being unfair? Theroux counters that some of Netanyahu's most powerful cabinet members, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, share Weiss's outlook. Smotrich, who oversees the civilian administration of the West Bank, has repeatedly threatened to leave the ruling coalition if Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza. Ben-Gvir is perhaps the most unpopular member, outside Israel, of Netanyahu's cabinet—a man who joked at a recent appearance in the U.S. about how little food Palestinian prisoners were given. In the film, Ben-Gvir appears at a settler rally where the annexation of Gaza is openly discussed, and he urges attendees to 'rebuild, settle, encourage Palestinian emigration and win.' [Read: The two extremists driving Israel's policy] Here in the U.K., the documentary aired just as elite opinion soured decisively on Israel's war in Gaza. Because Britain's most important ally, the United States, strongly supports Israel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's left-wing Labour Party has struggled to find a position that reconciles its supporters' distaste for Netanyahu and the demands of realpolitik. (The toxic legacy of the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was kicked out for denying the extent of anti-Semitism that flourished among party members on his watch, has also complicated Starmer's response.) On May 19, however, Starmer released a joint statement with Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Carney of Canada condemning Israel's actions, and calling for more aid to Gaza and an end to settlement expansion in the West Bank. 'Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7,' the three leaders wrote. 'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.' The next day—less than a month after The Settlers appeared on the BBC—the British government sanctioned Weiss, declaring that she was involved in 'threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.' (The Israeli government characterized this move, which prohibits Weiss from traveling to Britain and freezes any assets she might have in banks there, as 'unjustified and regrettable.') Theroux doesn't know if his documentary affected this decision, but 'it seems coincidental, doesn't it?' He doubts the sanctions will make much difference to Weiss. On June 10, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were also sanctioned by Britain—as well as by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway—for what Foreign Secretary David Lammy described as their 'horrendous extremist language.' In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that America 'stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' Like the majority of my fellow Britons, I don't believe that Israel is currently fighting a proportionate war. Launching a new armed campaign against Iran strikes me as reckless. Netanyahu is taking advantage of the Trump presidency to prolong the Gaza conflict, keeping his extremist coalition partners in the fold and himself in power. In doing so, he is being cheered on by Ben-Gvir, Weiss, and others in the settler movement who believe that they have an uncompromisable right to disputed land, backed by God's will and military might. No single film can do justice to the complexity and tragedy of the Middle East. But even if Theroux has settled upon the 'very worst' interviewees he could find, it's troubling that they have support at the highest levels of Israel's government. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
The Settlers With Their Sights on Gaza
As a chronicler of American subcultures, Louis Theroux is used to being in uncomfortable situations. But when he started to research his latest documentary—about Israeli settlers in the West Bank—what surprised him most was how open everyone was about their project, which violates international law. 'It was just shocking and strange,' Theroux told me, 'because most times, activity that feels really predatory or immoral takes place in the dark.' Some of the outposts depicted in The Settlers are illegal even under Israeli law, Theroux says—although the country's government just approved 22 additional settlements in the West Bank, in some cases retrospectively legalizing ones already established. Achieving such expansions has been the life's work of Theroux's main subject, Daniella Weiss, who is widely described as the 'godmother' of the settler movement and boasts on camera about having senior politicians on speed dial. When Theroux tells the 79-year-old that moving a civilian population into a conquered territory is considered a war crime, Weiss laughs. 'It's a light felony,' she replies. Her next target is the Gaza Strip. To Weiss, the timing seems perfect. Israel's war on Hamas has displaced a majority of the population in Gaza at least once, according to the United Nations, and Donald Trump has spoken of turning the area into the ' Riviera of the Middle East.' In America, this idea of Mar-a-Gaza has become a late-night-show punch line, but to the most hard-core Israeli settlers, retaking the Strip would be the fulfillment of a longtime dream. The Settlers was broadcast in Britain, where I live, in late April. Within hours, bootlegged versions were circulating on X, where they racked up millions of views. This shouldn't be surprising, because many online outlets, from The Joe Rogan Experience to the start-up Zeteo, have taken a more skeptical line on Israel's war objectives than the major U.S. television networks, reflecting the views of their audiences. Theroux, who is British-American, described himself to me as 'not terrifically political,' but he has nonetheless created a damning portrait of a group of religious extremists who believe that their claim to the West Bank comes from a higher authority than any mere UN directive or international treaty. Like many of the settlers Theroux interviews in the film, Weiss believes that the Jewish homeland is her birthright. 'She embodied this emboldened settler movement, both in her outlook, the fact of how long she'd been doing it, her level of influence, the passion she projects, and her kind-of completely uninhibited quality,' he told me. Toward the end of the film, Weiss even shoves him to make a point. Were he to respond in kind, she says, people could present that clip out of context and accuse him of physically abusing a woman. The implication is that what Theroux calls 'settler violence' is merely self-defense—a natural response to Palestinian provocation. The documentary, which recently became officially available to watch in the United States on the streaming service BBC Select, also features a number of Americans who have moved to the region to pursue what they see as a more meaningful life. One of them, Ari Abramowitz, was born in Texas and came to live in the land he calls 'Judea and Samaria' after visiting as a teenager. He now runs a farm and vacation retreat in the West Bank. 'I'm so uncomfortable using the word Palestinian,' he tells Theroux of a local Arab village, 'because I don't think it exists.' Another, a man from New York who now lives in Hebron, tells Theroux: 'Our right to be in this land is the Torah, is the godly promise. Where we don't settle, terror grows.' Both men are armed with rifles when Theroux meets them. Theroux has tackled the settlers once already, in a 2011 documentary called The Ultra Zionists, which showed a more rounded picture—both the zeal of the West Bank arrivals and the backlash they face from displaced Palestinians. (When traveling with one settler convoy, Theroux's car was pelted with rocks; a settler house he visited was later firebombed.) This new documentary feels more polemic, focusing on the demeaning daily restrictions on Palestinian life and the intensity of the Israeli military occupation. 'The architecture and infrastructure of power and domination is really interesting,' Theroux told me. 'As much as the why of the psychology, or the political outlook, is fascinating—actually, if you strip that out, there's also this extraordinary process that takes place involving walls, gates, guard towers, specially built roads. And I very much wanted to do justice to that as well.' I'm not shocked that this documentary was made by the BBC, rather than an American network. To a degree that surprises me, many Americans treat pro-Palestinian activism as a fringe leftist pursuit, irredeemably tainted by disruptive and anti-Semitic protests on college campuses. But disillusionment and anger with Israel are widespread, among both ordinary voters and ruling politicians, in Europe and other places that are otherwise friendly to America and its allies. In a December 2023 filing in the International Court of Justice, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. By October 2024, eight other countries, including Ireland and Turkey, had joined the case. In the latest YouGov sentiment tracker of six Western European countries, 'only 13–21% in any country have a favourable opinion of Israel, compared to 63–70% who have an unfavourable view.' Listen: Mossad's former chief calls the war in Gaza 'useless' Although only a small minority of the surveyed Europeans believed the October 7 attacks were justified, less than a quarter of respondents agreed that Israel's ongoing response is proportionate. These figures make uncomfortable reading for British Jews who abhor the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government but also recognize the existence of anti-Semitism within some parts of pro-Palestinian activism. My friend Hadley Freeman, for instance, wrote an agonized column reflecting on how the 'existence of anti-Jew hatred does not change the fact that thousands of people are dying on the Gaza strip.' In April, 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a group whose perspective is broadly pro-Israel, published an open letter condemning the war. 'Israel's soul is being ripped out,' they wrote. One inevitable criticism of The Settlers is that Theroux has unfairly focused on a fringe minority of Israelis in order to demonize the entire country, which is taking military action to respond to the October 7 attacks, rescue its remaining hostages, and protect itself from future terror plots. 'What could have possessed the BBC to make a documentary about the very worst Jews they could find?' Jake Wallis Simons, the former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, wrote after the initial broadcast on the BBC. By focusing on the 'freak show' of the viciously contested town of Hebron and demonstrating a lack of curiosity about Palestinian violence, Wallis Simons argued, the documentary showed a 'patrician, sneering perspective that in the eyes of the BBC passes for impartiality.' Theroux has indeed made a career out of interviewing extremists, weirdos, and people living marginal lifestyles. His previous subjects include swingers, porn actors, and the Westboro Baptist Church. By focusing on the hard-core settlers, is he being unfair? Theroux counters that some of Netanyahu's most powerful cabinet members, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, share Weiss's outlook. Smotrich, who oversees the civilian administration of the West Bank, has repeatedly threatened to leave the ruling coalition if Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza. Ben-Gvir is perhaps the most unpopular member, outside Israel, of Netanyahu's cabinet—a man who joked at a recent appearance in the U.S. about how little food Palestinian prisoners were given. In the film, Ben-Gvir appears at a settler rally where the annexation of Gaza is openly discussed, and he urges attendees to 'rebuild, settle, encourage Palestinian emigration and win.' Here in the U.K., the documentary aired just as elite opinion soured decisively on Israel's war in Gaza. Because Britain's most important ally, the United States, strongly supports Israel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's left-wing Labour Party has struggled to find a position that reconciles its supporters' distaste for Netanyahu and the demands of realpolitik. (The toxic legacy of the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was kicked out for denying the extent of anti-Semitism that flourished among party members on his watch, has also complicated Starmer's response.) On May 19, however, Starmer released a joint statement with Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Carney of Canada condemning Israel's actions, and calling for more aid to Gaza and an end to settlement expansion in the West Bank. 'Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7,' the three leaders wrote. 'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.' The next day—less than a month after The Settlers appeared on the BBC—the British government sanctioned Weiss, declaring that she was involved in 'threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.' (The Israeli government characterized this move, which prohibits Weiss from traveling to Britain and freezes any assets she might have in banks there, as 'unjustified and regrettable.') Theroux doesn't know if his documentary affected this decision, but 'it seems coincidental, doesn't it?' He doubts the sanctions will make much difference to Weiss. On June 10, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were also sanctioned by Britain—as well as by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway—for what Foreign Secretary David Lammy described as their 'horrendous extremist language.' In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that America 'stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' Like the majority of my fellow Britons, I don't believe that Israel is currently fighting a proportionate war. Launching a new armed campaign against Iran strikes me as reckless. Netanyahu is taking advantage of the Trump presidency to prolong the Gaza conflict, keeping his extremist coalition partners in the fold and himself in power. In doing so, he is being cheered on by Ben-Gvir, Weiss, and others in the settler movement who believe that they have an uncompromisable right to disputed land, backed by God's will and military might. No single film can do justice to the complexity and tragedy of the Middle East. But even if Theroux has settled upon the 'very worst' interviewees he could find, it's troubling that they have support at the highest levels of Israel's government.
Arab News
04-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Israeli settlers establish illegal outpost near Palestinian Authority's administrative city of Ramallah
LONDON: Israeli settlers have established a new outpost on land belonging to Palestinians east of Ramallah, the administrative city of the Palestinian Authority. The settlers have established the outpost on the ruins of a home belonging to a Palestinian family that was forcibly displaced nearly a year ago following a series of attacks in the village of Al-Taybeh, the Palestine News Agency reported. Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and have long been viewed as hindrances to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and to achieving peace. The PA's affiliated Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported in May on attempts by Israeli settlers to establish 15 new illegal outposts in the West Bank, mainly on agricultural and pastoral land. These outposts are distributed across several governorates, including six in Ramallah and Al-Bireh; two in Salfit, Tubas, and Bethlehem; and one each in Jericho and Nablus.
The Guardian
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Steve Hodson obituary
Steve Hodson, who has died aged 77, made his name in one of the most cherished children's television series of the 1970s, Follyfoot, which was inspired by the 1963 Monica Dickens novel Cobbler's Dream, about three young people working at a horse rescue centre. The teatime drama brought Hodson a legion of young admirers for his performance as Steve Ross, but also attracted many grown-up viewers over 39 episodes and three series from 1971 to 1973, with audiences of up to 14 million. It was sold on to 20 countries and won the 1972 Harlequin award for best children's programme from the Society of Film and Television Arts (now Bafta). Viewers were gripped by the trio's adventures, the beautiful countryside where filming took place – around the Harewood estate between Harrogate and Leeds – and the memorable theme song, The Lightning Tree, about the oak standing in the Follyfoot farmyard. Performed by the Settlers, it became a Top 40 hit single in the UK. Steve is sacked unfairly from the local squire's nearby stables and finds a new job alongside Dora Maddocks (Gillian Blake) and the more rebellious Ron Stryker (Christian Rodska) at a retirement home for unwanted or badly treated horses, owned by Dora's uncle (Desmond Llewellyn). He bonds with the sad Dora – whose parents are abroad following her father's appointment as a British ambassador in South America – over their shared sympathy for the horses. But he is more pragmatic than she is, which occasionally leads to tension. Many viewers regarded the programme as more realistic than the TV version of Black Beauty that was running around the same time. Hodson's sudden fame in Follyfoot led him to record a pop single, Crystal Bay (1973), written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie, although it never made the charts. After Follyfoot he continued acting on screen in character roles, but eventually decided to do no more television – partly as a result of being mobbed by fans of the series in Sweden and feeling that the limelight was not for him. Instead he became a prolific member of BBC radio's drama repertory company for almost 40 years (1975-2011) – 'it was nice being away from the cameras,' he said – and much in demand as a reader of audiobooks. Hodson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to Rene (nee Heffernan) and Tom Hodson, a factory supervisor, and attended Belle Vue grammar school. While working in the civil service, he and his then fiancee, Anita Carey, took drama classes at Bradford Playhouse before both moving to London to train at Central School of Speech and Drama (1967-70), where their relationship ended. It was around this time that Hodson learned to ride horses in Wimbledon, south-west London, where he was lodging with a family who owned stables. Shortly before being cast in Follyfoot, he made his television debut as a hotel worker in a 1971 episode of Hine, starring Barrie Ingham as an arms dealer. Other early TV appearances included parts in The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971), a Willis Hall-written Play for Today, The Villa Maroc (1972), and Z Cars (1974). Later came small roles in Hazell, Angels and A Horseman Riding By (all 1978), as well as Enemy at the Door (1980), All Creatures Great & Small (1980) and Juliet Bravo (two parts, 1980 and 1985). He was also a regular in the BBC children's series The Legend of King Arthur, as Mordred (1979), and Break in the Sun, as Pete (1981). So convincingly did he play – and resemble – a building society robber in a Crimewatch TV reconstruction in 1985 that some viewers phoned in to name him as the villain. On BBC radio he was in scores of dramas, mostly as a supporting character, although he starred in some plays and as Chaucer in Canterbury Tales (1991), as well as taking the part of Marius in a 16-part adaptation of Les Misérables (1976). After voicing many one-off characters in Waggoners' Walk, he took the part of Rupert Lovell in the radio serial in 1977-1978. His stage roles included George in a 1998 tour of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and he directed fringe plays, as well as teaching acting at the Oxford School of Drama. In 2011, after taking part in a nostalgic 40th-anniversary tour of Follyfoot's Yorkshire locations with cast, crew and a couple of dozen avid followers of the series, Hodson told me: 'I had no idea what it meant to the fans. They remembered so much more about it than we did. At the end my daughters said to me, 'We knew you'd been famous in a children's television series, but we never knew the extent. We've got a whole new respect for you, Pops!' Suddenly they realised what it all had meant.' Hodson's 1979 marriage to Rosamund Rooth ended in divorce. He is survived by their daughters, Eleanor and Jessica, and his granddaughter, Cleo. Stephen Leslie Hodson, actor, born 5 November 1947; died 16 February 2025
