THE death of veteran actor Edward Woodward at the age of 79 has prompted a rush of memories for Bay costume hire boss Lionel Digby.

The fancy dress fitter twice had the pleasure of working for the man who starred in TV and film classics which included The Equalizer, Callan and The Wicker Man.

Lionel, whose business is based in Torquay's Market Street, dealt with the great man only last year for Woodward's final film.

He said: "We had to produce a vicar's outfit for a film made in his home county of Cornwall called A Congregation of Ghosts.

"The trousers had a 50-inch waist. He was very sensitive about his measurements. It's the biggest vicar's outfit we've got."

Sensitivity about his girth, on another fitting occasion, was so great that Lionel had to obtain the vital statistics from a rival business in London.

"That was for the film Gipsy Fires about 10 years ago. We couldn't get the measurements from the actor. We tried very hard. In the end we went to a firm which had fitted him for a previous film," said Lionel.

"We produced some very nice suits for his character who was very well dressed. They were beautifully tailored."

Woodward, who had been suffering from a number of illnesses, died at Truro's Royal Cornwall Hospital earlier this week.

He leaves a widow, the actress Michele Dotrice, and four children.