The tragic fall that led to Rod Hull's death as he fixed a TV aerial

When Gyles Brandreth hit headlines last week by ‘confessing’ he might have ‘killed’ legendary comedian Rod Hull, former Countess of Bradford Joanne was shocked for two reasons.

Firstly, that the story had made it into the media, and secondly, because the tale had allegedly been ‘pinched’ from her by the writer and former MP.

Hull died from brain fractures and chest injuries after falling while attempting to fix a TV aerial on the roof of his bungalow so he could watch Manchester United play Inter Milan in the 1999 quarter finals with his teenage son.

The former Countess said this week that TV personality Brandreth, who is godfather to her third son Ben, had not been present when she had suggested to Hull someone climb onto the roof to fix a TV aerial – adding his memory seemed to have ‘appropriated’ the story.

‘I don’t recall Gyles being with us at all that night – I think I would have done,’ she told the Mail.

‘I can only think that my former husband must have told him some time later how we had urged Rod to fix his TV problem, which led to his really tragic death and, 25 years later, Gyles’s memory has appropriated our instructions to Rod to himself.’

After the tragedy made its way into the national spotlight once again, MailOnline takes another look at that fateful night.

Hull died in 1999 aged 63 after suffering a severe skull fracture and chest injuries when he fell from the roof of his bungalow

A 2003 documentary about Hull showed him climbing onto the roof to fix his aerial on a separate occasion

Rod attends West End 

It was March 1999 when the former Countess of Bradford and her then-husband Richard were invited to the opening night of a revival of the musical Animal Crackers, at the West End’s Lyric Theatre.

The Bradfords picked up the comedian, 63, from the Chelsea Arts Club in Old Church Street before travelling by taxi to the theatre.

It was shortly after Hull had split from his second wife Cher, who, following the couple’s serious financial woes, had returned to Australia with their children.

Hull had found himself moving out of his Grade I listed house and living in a rundown bungalow in East Sussex.

Shepherd’s Cottage, which was owned by the National Trust, set Hull back £20 per week and was described by family members in a 2003 documentary as ‘derelict’.

Shortly afterwards, his son Oliver returned to the UK after he turned 18 and moved in with Hull at the isolated location.

At some point during the evening on March 16, Joanne says Hull – who was most famous for his appearances alongside his puppet Emu – informed them he was having problems with his TV reception and was concerned about missing an upcoming Manchester United game.

The National Trust cottage that Hull moved into after his split from second wife Cher cost him £20 per week in rent

At the time of his dath aged 63, Hull lived with his son Oliver, 19 (pictured in 2003)

Rod Hull pictured with Joanne, the former Countess of Bradford. She says she attended the theatre with Hull on March 16 without Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth hit the headlines last week when he claimed on his Rosebud podcast that he had ‘killed’ the comedian Rod Hull

‘We told him that, if necessary, it should be easy enough to put a ladder up the side of his bungalow and fiddle with the aerial to fix the reception,’ she said.

Last week Brandreth repeated claims first made on his podcast as he told This Morning he was at the theatre with the Bradfords and Hull, who he said was interrupting the show with his complaints about his television.

But he claimed this was the same night of Hull’s death – which is impossible as the opening night which Rod attended was actually the evening before.

He added that he ‘blames himself’ and had ‘encouraged’ Hull to climb onto the roof.

Joanne said she does not recall Brandreth being present at the theatre, something the presenter said this week made him ‘sad’.

Brandreth said: ‘I said, “Don’t moan about it, if you want to watch the television get a ladder out, climb on to the roof, and fix it Rod”.

‘And after the show, in this stormy weather, he went home, he got out a ladder, he climbed the ladder, and he tried to fix the aerial.

‘Unfortunately the wind was very great and he fell backwards off the ladder and killed himself. So I wasn’t actually there, but I’d encouraged him.’

Home video footage showed Hull often fixed the aerial himself – both Brandreth and Joanne say they also advised him to do so

Hull was best known for his performances with his puppet Emu, which had a penchant for attacking TV presenters

Hull is pictured in the small cottage where he lived at the time of his death with his son Oliver

A quarter-final tie

The following evening on March 17, Hull sat down with his son Oliver, 19, to watch the much-anticipated Champions League fixture against Inter Milan at his bungalow home in Winchelsea, East Sussex.

According to the inquest held shortly after his death, Hull became frustrated due to the poor sound quality during the quarter final match and decided to try and fix it by climbing the roof, something he did often.

Home video footage shows Hull adjusting wires around the aerial shortly before his death, while stood on a ladder set against the slanted roof.

Friends, speaking on a documentary of Rod’s life, said he had fixed the aerial himself ‘a thousand times before’.

Oliver told the 2003 doc Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand that he had offered to make the climb, but Hull was adamant he would sort out the issue.

‘Obviously, now I feel terrible that I didn’t go up,’ he said.

‘Dad’s fallen, I can’t get a pulse’

At half-time, about 8.20pm, Hull left the house, leaving instructions for his son to keep listening to the television and shout out the window when the sound quality had improved.

He then climbed a ladder onto the roof of the building to fiddle with the aerial. Despite strong winds and the cloud cover leaving no moonlight, Hull did not take a torch.

The cottage was described as ‘desolate’ by members of Hull’s family – he moved their after suffering serious financial problems

Hull died from a severely fractured skull and chest injuries after falling off his roof (Hull pictured on a previous occasion)

Oliver then heard a ‘light thud’, followed by a ‘much heavier thud’. The 19-year-old rushed outside and desperately called out to his father but received no reply.

After running outside to check on him, Oliver climbed onto the roof, at which point he found Hull lying on the concrete beside their greenhouse.

After calling an ambulance, Oliver phoned his mother in Australia. She said: ‘It was dreadful. He was just saying “Dad’s fallen, I can’t get a pulse”.’

Describing the moment paramedics arrived and attended to his father, Oliver said: ‘It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world to behold.’

The comedian was rushed to Conquest Hospital in Hastings, but was sadly declared dead on arrival.

There was speculation at the time that Hull may have suffered a heart attack, which was mentioned by agent Laurie Mansfield when he announced his death.

A post-mortem found he died from a severely fractured skull and chest injuries, and declared his death an accident.

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