Jane Tucker was one third of the legendary TV stars Rod, Jane and Freddy, who featured on the TV show Rainbow alongside Geoffrey Hayes and Bungle, Zippy and George
Rainbow was an iconic children’s TV show beloved of anyone who grew up in the 1980s – but one of it’s co-stars looks very different now.
The show saw presenter Geoffrey Hayes enjoying adventures with a life-sized bear called Bungle and two puppets, a pink hippo called George and a loudmouth character known as Zippy. They were joined by a singing band called Rod, Jane and Freddy who even went on to have their own spin-off series.
Jane Tucker appeared alongside Rod Burton and Freddy Marks, writing and performing and catchy segments that were a core part of the show, offering fun and educational moments alongside the craziness of Geoffrey and the puppets. She initially married Rod in 1976, but they divorced in 1979. She went on to marry Freddy in 2016 and remained married to him until his sad death in 2021. Unsurprisingly, she now looks very different to her Rainbow days.
The sad news of Freddy’s passing was shared on a Rainbow Facebook group, which posted: “Our thoughts go out to his wife Jane Tucker, Rod Burton and all their friends and family at this difficult time. Freddy will be greatly missed.”
Jane and Freddy were married in 2016 at the luxurious Claridge’s hotel in London. Their relationships made headlines when it emerged that Jane had previously been married to Rod. She opened up about her relationships with both men during an appearance on the panel show 50 Ways To Leave Your TV Lover in 2013.
Sitting next to her first husband Rod, Jane explained: “Rod and I were married and then we got divorced. That’s it basically. Some years later when Freddy joined, Freddy and I hooked up together.”
Freddy added: “Rod and Jane had been divorced long before I actually joined the series. So with all the will in the world it was very difficult to make a ménage à trois out of something that didn’t exist.”
In February 2021, Freddy made his last TV appearance when he and Jane appeared on a special edition of game show Pointless. The pair looked very different, although Jane still rocked the long, blonde hair she became known for.
Freddy was born in Cheshire in 1949 and had a passion for music and theatre from a young age. He toured with various bands and trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London from 1968. After graduating in 1971, Freddy began his career in the theatre with roles in The Rocky Horror Show in the West End.
But he became a household name in 1979 when he replaced Roger Walker on Rainbow before bagging his own gig with the Rod, Jane and Freddy show. He also made appearances on British series The Sooty Show, which focused on the mischievous adventures of the glove puppet character of the same name, alongside his friends Sweep and Soo.
The musical trio was immensely popular, writing and producing over 2,500 songs for children’s television during their three decades of work.