Topic Lifecycle: Dormant
This topic is currently dormant in the news cycle. It was last covered on Monday 13 July 2026 and has not appeared in recent broadcasts.
Coverage trend (last 30 days)
How much coverage this topic got from each channel over the past month.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Recent stories
The latest story timelines linked to this topic, newest activity first.
What was reported
A plain summary of this topic, built from the channels that covered it.
Actor Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. He was best known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, and also appeared in films such as The Piano and The Hunt for Red October, as well as the television series Peaky Blinders. Neill had been receiving treatment for a rare blood cancer and had announced earlier this year that he was cancer-free. His family stated that his death was sudden and unexpected, and that he was surrounded by family. Tributes were paid by the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Australia. Both news reports noted his cancer remission and his long career spanning several decades.
Key Claims by Channel
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Sam Neill died at the age of 78. | Reported by Channel 5 | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Sam Neill was best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Sam Neill appeared in the film The Piano. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Sam Neill had been treated for a rare blood cancer and announced he was cancer-free earlier this year. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Sam Neill was born in Northern Ireland and moved to New Zealand as a child. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| New Zealand and Australian prime ministers paid tribute to Sam Neill. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Sam Neill screen tested for the role of James Bond but was rejected. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | |
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Sam Neill appeared in the film The Hunt for Red October. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Sam Neill appeared in the TV series Peaky Blinders. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Sam Neill's career spanned more than five decades and included acclaimed films. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Sam Neill wrote a memoir and was candid about living with cancer. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| The Peaky Blinders official page credited Sam Neill as a key force in the show's start. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Steven Spielberg said he adored making Jurassic Park movies with Sam Neill. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Cillian Murphy called Sam Neill one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV |
This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.
Timeline
Where this topic appeared. Cells show coverage time and are darker when there was more coverage.