POLICE 5 presenter Shaw Taylor has died, aged 90, at his Isle of Wight home.
Isle of Wright County Press
By Ross Findon
Mr Taylor was best known for presenting the pioneering ITV show — with his catchphrase 'keep 'em peeled.'
Shaw Taylor moved to the Isle of Wight around 20 years ago, with his partner Shirley Ferrari. She was with him when he died peacefully, at their Totland home, last night (Wednesday).
Isle of Wight Radio presenter John Hannam, who had been friends with Shaw since he moved to the Isle of Wight, paid tribute to him.
Mr Hannam said that although Police 5 might be what Shaw was best known for to many people, his career had been incredibly varied.
"One of his proudest moments was interviewing all four of The Beatles when he was at Radio Luxembourg.
"Another great moment came when he was in Moscow at a British Trade Fair and they were demonstrating one of the first video recorders and he was asked to test it by interviewing Nikita Khrushchev. The interview was broadcast live," said John.
Having served with the RAF on the Isle of Wight, during the Second World War, Shaw trained as an actor at RADA and started as a stage actor before moving into television.
He presented several game shows, but it was his work on Police 5 — a forerunner to programmes such as Crimewatch — that he would become best known for.
In each episode, Shaw would present details of real crimes and urge the public to help solve them.
"ITV had bought a show from the US, but the episodes were five minutes too short for the slot, so they created Police 5. It was only supposed to for a few weeks, but it ended up running for 30 years with spin-offs around the world," said John.
During his years on the Isle of Wight, Shaw supported many charities and the local amateur dramatic scene.
"He was such a charming man and if there was something he could do to help you, he would," said John.
The Friends of Shanklin Theatre also paid tribute to Shaw.
*Chairman Peter Coleman said: "The Shanklin Theatre has lost a great friend in Shaw, who still in later years attended performances at the theatre and contributed to keeping the theatre open.
"Not everyone will know that as a young actor before his Television career, many of his early acting parts were at the theatre, memories which he still cherished. Shaw will be sadly missed by all his friends at the theatre."
TAYLOR, Shaw (Eric Taylor)
Born: 10/26/1924, Hackney, London, England, U.K.
Died: 3/17/2015, Isle of Wright, England, U.K.
Shaw Taylor’s western – actor:
The Cabin in the Clearing (TV) - 1959 (‘The Owl’)