Howards' Way (1985-1990) Cast Then and Now 2026 – Who Tragically Passed Away? 😱

Howards' Way ran on BBC One from 1985 to 1990 and turned a struggling Solent boatyard into Britain's own answer to Dallas and Dynasty, pulling in well over ten million viewers on a Sunday night. Forty-one years on, seven of that cast are gone. Maurice Colbourne, the anchor of the whole show as Tom Howard, died of a heart attack at just forty-nine during a break in filming the fifth series, and the writers were forced to kill his character off so the story could carry on without him. Kate O'Mara, Glyn Owen, Nigel Davenport, Tony Anholt, Dulcie Gray and Ivor Danvers have all followed him since. In this Howards' Way cast then and now 2026 retrospective we go through every face on that call sheet in order, including Jan Harvey and Stephen Yardley, whose on-set romance became one of the longest marriages the cast ever produced, plus Tracey Childs, Susan Gilmore, Edward Highmore, whose son grew into one of the busiest actors of the next generation, Cindy Shelley and Sarah-Jane Varley. You will see who is still here, who quietly walked away from the spotlight for good, and who tragically passed away. Seven gone, seven still here, and one boatyard on the Solent that never really existed at all. New cast Then & Now stories drop here every week — subscribe so the next reunion finds you.