Tony Scoggo

Tony Scoggo
Born	Anthony Scogings (1936-05-06)6 May 1936 Liverpool, England
Died	October 2022(2022-10-00) (aged 86) Liverpool, England
Other names	Tony Scoggins
Occupations	Actor, community worker, councillor, musician
Years active	1981–1995 (TV)

Tony Scoggo (born Anthony Scogings;^[1] 6 May 1936 – October 2022) was a British actor best known for his role in the television soap opera Brookside. He played Matty Nolan in the series from 1982 to 1992.

Other television roles include Boys from the Blackstuff and Doctor Who (in the serial Terror of the Vervoids).

Biography

After 12 years of seagoing service aboard cruise liners, Scoggo realised the accelerating decline in the industry. Coming ashore, he took a job in ship repairs. With the wages being so low, he supplemented them by becoming a guitar player in a band alongside Tommy Scully on vocals and Brian Edwards (a docker) on bass. Known as the 'Hi-Fi Three', they performed in shows for charity and fundraising for local community activities. It was while having a drink at the Stanley Park Hotel that Ricky Tomlinson was invited to come up and sing with the group. Subsequently, he was invited to join the band, who became 'Hobo Rick & the Hi-Fi Three'.^[2]

Scoggo developed an interest in politics while working on the Vauxhall Community Development Project in the early 1970s.^[3][4] During this time, he was director of a Welfare Rights and Advice Centre at the Victoria Settlement, as a result appearing on a 1976 edition of BBC factual series Open Door, assessing the views of tenants and discussing the housing situation.^[5] Following this, Scoggo worked in the catering business^[6] and became manager of Merseyside Onward Industries. The enterprise involved refurbishing old furniture to be given to those in need and provided employment for young unemployed people,^[7] as well as ex-offenders.^[8]

Giving up acting in the 1990s, Scoggo became a councillor in Knowsley. As a Labour councillor, he took part in the Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council elections of 1995,^[9] 1999,^[10] 2003^[11] and 2004.^[12] In 2003, he was Knowsley Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure, Community and Culture.^[13]

On 28 October 2022, it was announced on Twitter/X that Scoggo died earlier that week at the age of 86.^[14][15]

References

1. "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
2. "A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Tony Scoggo". The Football Voice. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
3. Scoggins, Tony (1976). "An Experience in Neighbourhood Community Work". Community Development Journal. 11 (1): 33–37. doi:10.1093/cdj/11.1.33. ISSN 0010-3802. JSTOR 44255764.
4. "Tony Gets On His Soap Box". Liverpool Echo. 21 December 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
5. "Star recovers to join the Angels". South Wales Argus. 20 September 1976. p. 2. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
6. "Acknowledgments: HAROLD CASEY". Liverpool Echo. 24 December 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
7. "Tony's looking for furniture". Liverpool Echo. 4 November 1977. p. 17. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
8. "Workshop open day". Daily Post (Merseyside). 22 March 1980. p. 7. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
9. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1999 (PDF). Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre. p. 30. ISBN 0948858257. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
10. "Election Results". Liverpool Echo. 7 May 1999. p. 12. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
11. "Local Election Results 2003 – Knowsley". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
12. "Vote 2004: KNOWSLEY". The Free Library. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
13. "A Culture that gives meaning to life". Liverpool Echo. 3 September 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
14. "Sorry to hear that Tony Scoggins aka Matty Nolan passed away earlier this week". Alan Jacklott on X. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
15. "Scoggins, Anthony b. 1936". GRO Index. Retrieved 21 June 2025.

External links

• Tony Scoggo at IMDb