Trap Door Co-Creator Terry Brain Dies Aged 60 Following Two-Year Cancer Battle

His iconic 1980s kids’ TV animation had plenty of tongue-in-cheek jokes about mortality.

And the death of Trap Door co-creator Terry Brain has been met with the type of gallows humour in which the Bristol animator revelled.

Brain’s son David has confirmed his father, below, ‘passed away peacefully’ aged 60 on Friday morning after a two-year cancer battle.

In honour of his father David tweeted: ‘This has been the worst Easter since the time I woke up saturated in my own vomit circa 1991 and I wasn’t allowed to eat any eggs for 48 hours.’

He also posted alongside a ink to a BBC article on his dad’s death: ‘Obviously no wars or murderings happening today because my dad’s made the news.’

And he poignantly posted a link to a clip to Trap Door – about a group of monsters covered in goo who live in the hidden cavern of a castle – in which one of the characters muses: ‘Its better to hold on to what you have instead of letting go and not having it.’

A fan’s Twitter tribute to Terry, above, and below his son’s string of tweets about his death.

David was more serious when being interviewed about his dad’s death.

He told the Metro newspaper: “He was my hero – an amazing guy, funny. Right up until the last time I saw him… he was still trying to crack jokes through it.”

David added his father was close to completing a brand new 12-part series before his death, and posted on Twitter he would finish the show.

He continued: “Dad was a smiley, relaxed person – and a veteran in the industry, who inspired many young animators.

“Right up to the end he was making his own series in his spare room. He was four seconds of animation away from finishing a 12-part series he’d been doing, and we’re going to try and get someone to finish it off for him. So there’s still more to come. He wouldn’t have wanted people to know he was in pain, just enjoy his stuff.”

Trap Door ran for 40 episodes and along with co-animator Charlie Mills, Terry also created another animated series, Stoppit And Tidyup.

Brain leaves behind two children and three grandchildren.

David added to The Metro: “Making people laugh was his priority. And if you look at his work, Trap Door and stuff, people grew up with it and see it as a kids show – but if you watch it now, you see the adult and risque humour in it, and that was the humour my dad brought with him.”

Pictures David Brain/Twitter