He wasn’t only known as Wycliffe. Jack Shepherd belonged to that rare group of versatile, shape-shifting actors who seemed to embody an entire era of British drama. Growing up in Leeds and later training at the Central School of Speech and Drama before joining the Royal Court, he built a career grounded in sharp intelligence and a quiet, smouldering presence. TV audiences came to recognize him as the rebellious Labour MP Bill Brand, a portrayal so powerful that it earned him a Bafta nomination and a loyal audience long before he ever strode through Cornwall’s windswept crime scenes.

Yet the man behind the detective was far more than a television star. Shepherd was a fixture of the National Theatre, an Olivier-winning performer in Glengarry Glen Ross, and a director who brought Shakespeare to both the Globe and Broadway. He was also a playwright, a saxophone player, and a jazz pianist. In the end, he passed away much as he often performed: quietly and with dignity, surrounded by his wife Ann Scott and their children Jan, Jake, Victoria, Catherine, and Ben. What endures is a legacy imprinted on countless TV screens and in the hearts of those who watched him turn subtle intensity into something unforgettable.