In Terry Hands’s revelatory scrutiny of Gorky’s Enemies (Aldwych, 1971), he was in stunning form as the well- intentioned but ultimately hopelessly ineffectual paterfamilias, at his best in his powerfully emotional scenes opposite Patrick Stewart’s tough-minded business partner. Most memorable, perhaps, remains his Peter Quince in Peter Brook’s trail-blazing A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1970); Locke’s by-the-book, fussily pedantic amateur-dramatics pedagogue was wonderfully contrasted physically with David Waller’s thickset, rantipole bully Bottom.For the RSC in London, Locke had two of the best parts of his career. He played the Persian ruler Mycetes in Tamburlaine and, in a piece of offbeat casting, a mature-student Horatio, bespectacled and devoted to Albert Finney’s Hamlet. And in Frank Dunlop’s extravagant staging of the old William Gillette staple Sherlock Holmes (Aldwych, 1974, and New York, 1975), his manic, glittering-eyed embodiment of evil as Professor Moriarty was a vital element of the evening’s heady, energy-fused panache, a worthy opponent to John Wood’s masterly Holmes.Locke later had some good opportunities at the National Theatre, often for Peter Hall, in the early days of the South Bank complex.

Locke played the satanic Father Evilgreene in Osborne’s lampoon of gutter journalism, a performance much admired by the author for its lubricious glee, all the more defiant in the teeth of audience disapproval, boos and catcalls.When the ESC moved to the West End during Sloane Square refurbishments, Locke was a touchingly dignified Medviedenko in Tony Richardson’s production of The Seagull (Queen’s, 1960), in a glittering company including Peggy Ashcroft, Peter Finch, Vanessa Redgrave and Devine himself.During a period of high achievement at the RSC, Locke impressed with a series of varied and accomplished performances, including a Boyet of aloof irony in Love’s Labour’s Lost and a mordant Jaques in As You Like It (both Stratford, 1969). Philip Locke, actor: born London 29 March 1928; died London 19 April 2004. With his deep-set, haunted eyes and tall, somewhat cadaverous physique, Philip Locke unsurprisingly found himself cast often as sinister villains or mad scientists in television and on film (most famously his creepy assassin, Vargas, stealthily stalking Sean Connery’s 007 in the 1965 Bond film Thunderball).On stage, however, he was more imaginatively cast and in a varied career, much of it spent in the subsidised sector – he had periods with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court under George Devine, and with both the RSC and the National Theatre – his work consistently surprised.Locke was a Londoner, educated at St Marylebone Central School, where his interest in the theatre was born. After training for the stage at Rada he moved into the then still-thriving world of provincial rep, making a strong d?t as a Feste of unusually deep melancholy in Twelfth Night at Oldham Rep (1954).An early appearance for the Old Vic on tour in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1955) as Flute – approaching his role as Thisbe in the Mechanicals’ play with a doggedly committed seriousness which became progressively more hilarious – brought him to the attention of the ESC.His work at the Royal Court, although rarely in leading roles, confirmed his belief in the ensemble ethic and also led to his West End d?t (alongside other ESC-associated actors) in the disastrous John Osborne musical The World of Paul Slickey (Palace, 1960). He urges young people to take a gap year on the grounds that it will make them more employable and that they won’t have to pay back the increased fees until after graduation.l.hodges independent.co.uk.

So, faced with the choice of an upfront fee of £3,000 and a post-hoc fee of £9,000, they are clear which is best, particularly as they are prepared to help their children have a gap year after university.However, Richard Oliver of the Year Out Group, says the result of avoiding a gap year will be an increase in the difficulty of getting into university in 2005. The top-up fee is paid after graduation, and only once a person is earning £15,000 a year. “So there are no plans to offer any exceptional deals to students in 2005,” says a Government spokesman.Mothers such as Ms Coffey are fully aware of the details of the new arrangements; in fact, she agrees with the Government’s policy, believing the current plans for top-up fees make sense. These are the kind of parents who help their offspring with their university costs to ensure their debts are kept to a minimum.

So, they will be in a better position than they are under the current arrangements.Even those who come from comfortably off families will be better off in the sense that they will not be paying upfront fees. Those from poorer backgrounds will have the first £1,100 of their fees paid; they will also receive a grant and a bursary from the university. But Phil Willis, education spokesman for the party, is undaunted. Yesterday, the Lib Dems put down another amendment in the Lords “This is a real problem,” says Willis. “Five to 10 years ago, gap years were the province of rich kids. But now students are taking gap years to raise money to go to university.”The Conservatives have been supporting the amendment on the grounds that, without a concession, the gap-year market will collapse in 2005. “We have had a lot of representations from gap-year organisations,” says Charles Hendry, the shadow minister for young people, adding: “We are very sorry that ministers have refused to consider a concession.” Mandy Telford, the president of the National Union of Students, agrees.