JAMES BURROWS, DIRECTOR OF CHEERS AND FRIENDS, DIES AGED 85

James Burrows, director of numerous American sitcoms including Cheers and Friends, has died aged 85. His family confirmed his death in a statement, saying he passed away peacefully on Friday 19 June surrounded by family members. Burrows directed more than 1,000 episodes of television comedy across a career spanning more than 50 years. His work encompassed The Big Bang Theory, Will and Grace, and other comedy series.

Burrows co-created Cheers with Glen Charles and Les Charles, a series that became a major television success in the 1980s in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Born in Los Angeles in 1940, he attended the graduate programme at Yale School of Drama before beginning his directing career. Over his career, he won 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards, with 48 further Emmy nominations. He also directed himself in a comedic role in the HBO series The Comeback alongside Lisa Kudrow.

Tributes from actors who worked with Burrows have been shared on social media. David Schwimmer wrote that Burrows brought out the best in every actor he worked with and elevated every show he directed. Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc, both of whom worked with him on Friends, posted photographs and messages of gratitude on Instagram. LeBlanc wrote that Burrows' impact and influence on those who knew him could not be described in words.