And fans of Davies since his early, autobiographical films "Distant Voices, " "Still Lives, " and "The Long Day Closes" will appreciate the inclusion of one of his favorite time-capsule gestures: a warm pub scene in which every patron, young and old, joins in singing popular tunes.

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Mr Davies had also suffered from diabetes for the last two years which made him more introverted, according to shoemaker 82-year-old Dennis Edwards, who works 100 yards away from the centuries old Red Lion pub, the scene of the shootings.

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"He certainly took to that part like a duck to water, " she said as she recalled acting with him during his first scene in the soap's pub The Rovers Return.

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