Ted Lasso star confirms there were plans to bring back Anthony Head before his death

Ted Lasso's creator and star Brendan Hunt had hoped to bring Anthony Head back ahead of his death, aged 72. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer icon died on 1 June from complications due to pneumonia.

He appeared in the Apple TV series as the villainous Rupert Mannion, who was last seen during season three but referenced several times in the fourth season.

Ted Lasso also paid tribute to the actor with an In Memoriam card in Episode 409, but Hunt shared his hopes with Deadline that the star would have returned for new episodes.

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"We had an outside hope of bringing him back in the last episode," the Coach Beard actor revealed.

"We were told that that was not going to be possible. So yeah, we had an idea for a little thing, but it was not going to happen."

On whether Rupert will die in season five, Hunt added: "I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t pass until after we shot everything, so we’ll have to figure that out when and if we get the chance to reconvene."

Mae actor Annette Badland also told the publication previously that she "assumed" he would be in season four.

"I assumed he would be in this last [season], and didn’t know, as I think very few people knew he was ill and just couldn’t do it," she admitted.

Paying her own tribute to her late co-star, she said: "He was a beautiful man, and he will be much missed. He was charming and funny and generous, and we’d have naughty little sort of asides.

"So we will miss him, and I respect him, and I think it’s a great honour to be in the episode that is dedicated to him."

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn