Rebecca Cook
Published November 25, 2025 6:24pm
Updated November 25, 2025 6:45pm
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Jack Shepherd has died at the age of 85 (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
Wycliffe star Jack Shepherd, who played detective Charles Wycliffe in the ITV series, has died at the age of 85.
The Leeds actor died yesterday following a ‘short illness’, his family said in a statement.
Shepherd was best known for playing the Cornish detective Wycliffe in the drama, which aired from 1993 to 1998.
Based on the novels by W J Burley and set against the striking and windswept Cornish coast, the detective series followed the extremely meticulous and whipsmart Detective Superintendent Wycliffe.
Cornwall faced a string of serious crimes, which Wycliffe and his investigative team took on, with colleagues DI Doug Kersey, played by Scottish actor Jimmy Yuill, and Helen Masters’ DI Lucy Lane.
A statement shared with PA said: ‘It is with great sadness we can confirm that the celebrated actor Jack Shepherd passed away yesterday at the age of 85.
Jack Shepherd had a ‘short illness’ before his death (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
The ITV drama aired between 1993 and 1998 (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
‘He died peacefully in hospital after a short illness. His wife and family were with him.’
The statement from Shepherd’s agents at Markham, Froggatt & Irwin went on to say they were ‘very proud and honoured to have been part of Jack’s illustrious career’.
The statement concluded: ‘His passing is a sad loss to us all. Jack is survived by his wife Ann Scott and children Jan, Jake, Victoria, Catherine and Ben.’
‘His passing is a sad loss to us all’ (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
After attending school in Leeds, Shepherd won a scholarship to Newcastle University to study fine art. He later moved to London to study at The Central School for Speech and Drama.
His big TV break came in the 1970s, when he was cast as the rebellious Labour MP Bill Brand in the hit series Bill Brand on ITV.
The series, created by Trevor Griffiths, earned Shepherd a best actor Bafta nomination in 1977.
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Alongside TV, Shepherd also appeared in films including 2007’s The Golden Compass alongside Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, as well as on stage at the National Theatre.
He directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1996 at Shakespeare’s Globe, before the show went to Broadway.
Shepherd won multiple awards, including an Olivier award for the original production of Glengarry Glen Ross in 1983.
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He also worked with director Bill Bryden on numerous theatre productions and was a playwright in his own right, as well as a saxophonist and jazz pianist.
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