Tributes paid as Cosgove Hall founder dies at 74

TRIBUTES have been paid to  Mark Hall – one of the founders of award-winning Manchester company Cosgrove Hall – who has died.

Mr Hall – who only recently revealed plans to come out of retirement  was 74 and had only recently been taken ill. He passed away at home on Thursday.

He founded Cosgrove Hall in 1969 with Brian Cosgrove, and the studio changed the face of children’s television, making iconic programmes including DangerMouse, Count Duckula, Jamie and his Magic Torch, Wind in the Willows and Chorlton and the Wheelies.

The pair met at Manchester’s Regional College of Art in the late 1950’s. In the 1960’s they worked as graphic designers for Granada TV.

At its peak Chorlton-based Cosgrove Hall’s top programme Dangermouse was commanding audiences of 19 million.

Mark and Brian retired in early 2000, and the company ceased trading in 2009. However, last month it was announced that Cosgrove had been resurrected and thatboth partners had come out of retirement and were working with Dublin-based entrepreneur Francis Fitzpatrick to form Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick (CHF Entertainment).

Paying tribute to Mark Hall , Francis Fitzpatrick said: “It is with great sadness that I heard of the passing of my business partner Mark Hall. He was iconic within the animation industry and it has been a real pleasure to work with such a kind, caring and generous person”.

Jean Flynn, who worked with Mark and Brian at Cosgrove Hall for more than 30 years added: “Mark Hall was so well loved and was such an inspirational and fantastic boss. He fostered such encouragement and creativity and had a terrific generosity of spirit; helping hundreds of people start out in the animation industry.

“He had such a love for life and brought so much life into Cosgrove Hall.  His love for life sparked all his ideas and characters and he was completely and utterly passionate about telling animation. He will be dearly missed”.