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Long before becoming one of Nollywood’s most recognisable actors, Olu Jacobs built part of his early acting career in Britain.
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His British television work during the 1970s saw him appear across comedy, drama, science fiction and crime productions.
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Jacobs featured in several established British shows, including ‘The Goodies’, ‘Till Death Us Do Part’ and ‘The Tomorrow People’.
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His television career in Britain came before his appearances in international films and eventual rise to prominence in Nigerian cinema.
September 16, (THEWILL) – Olu Jacobs became one of the most recognisable faces in Nigerian film, but his acting career had already taken him beyond Nigeria decades before Nollywood became a major global industry.
After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Jacobs began building his career in British theatre and television. During the 1970s, he appeared in a number of British productions, taking on roles across different genres.
His British screen career also came before his appearances in international films such as ‘Ashanti’ (1979), ‘The Dogs of War’ (1980), ‘Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend’ (1985) and Roman Polanski’s ‘Pirates’ (1986).
He eventually returned to Nigeria in 1990, where he took the lead role of Inspector Best Idafa in the NTA series ‘The Third Eye’ before becoming a major figure in Nigerian film.
Here are six British television shows in which the late actor appeared.
1. ‘The Goodies’
Jacobs appeared in the BBC comedy series ‘The Goodies’ in 1971, early in his British television career.
Created and performed by Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, the series became known for its surreal humour and unusual storylines. It ran throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s.
Jacobs appeared in the episode ‘The Lost Tribe of the Orinoco’, adding a comedy production to his growing list of television credits.
2. ‘Till Death Us Do Part’
Jacobs also appeared in the long-running British sitcom ‘Till Death Us Do Part’ in 1974.
He played a television repairman in the episode ‘Strikes and Blackouts’, which aired in January that year. The episode also featured the show’s central character, Alf Garnett, played by Warren Mitchell.
The sitcom was one of Britain’s prominent television comedies of the era and later inspired the American series ‘All in the Family’.
3. ‘Barlow at Large’
In 1975, Jacobs appeared in the British crime drama series ‘Barlow at Large’, playing Motamba in the episode ‘Protection’.
The series followed Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Barlow as he investigated different cases across London.
The role added another crime drama to Jacobs’ British television credits during a period when he was taking on a variety of roles on screen.
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4. ‘The Tomorrow People’
Jacobs appeared in the British science-fiction series ‘The Tomorrow People’ in 1978, playing General Papa Minn.
He featured in two episodes of the storyline ‘The Thargon Menace’. The ITV series followed a group of young people with special abilities and became a cult favourite among science-fiction viewers.
The appearance further showed the range of genres Jacobs worked in during his years on British television.
5. ‘The Crezz’
In 1976, Jacobs appeared in the British television drama ‘The Crezz’ as Geoffrey Ademola.
The ITV production centred on residents living in a fictional West London crescent, with individual episodes focusing on different households and their stories.
Jacobs appeared in the episode ‘All Good Nature’. The single-episode appearance remains part of his early screen filmography and offers a glimpse of the actor years before he became widely associated with Nollywood.
6. ‘The Professionals’
Jacobs appeared in the British crime-action series ‘The Professionals’ in 1979, playing Sylvester.
The series followed agents Bodie and Doyle, members of the fictional security organisation CI5, as they handled dangerous assignments.
Jacobs featured in the episode ‘The Madness of Mickey Hamilton’, adding another established British television production to his filmography during the final years of his 1970s British screen career.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
