Bill Sikes won several awards in the early 1960s. Oliver Reed played Sikes in the musical's 1968 film adaptation which also won several awards, with Reed's performance often cited as the best portrayal of Sikes - being labelled as "the sinister core of the film". His songs are removed from the film, making his performance of the character closer to that of the novel rather than the stage version. The famous climax of the 1948 film adaptation is retained and Bill Sikes dies in the same manner of being shot then accidentally hanging himself. In Disney's animated version, "Oliver & Company" (1988),
Eric Sykes at a funeral. In 1984, Sykes played the Genie in the children's film "Gabrielle and the Doodleman", which also featured Windsor Davies (who would also appear with Sykes in the BBC's "Gormenghast" in 2000), Bob Todd, Lynsey de Paul, and Gareth Hunt. In 1985, he played the Mad Hatter in the Anglia Television serial adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland", joining an all-star cast that included Michael Bentine, Leslie Crowther, and Leonard Rossiter, and he also had an uncredited role (as an arcade attendant) in the Julien Temple film musical "Absolute Beginners" (1986) which stars Patsy Kensit. In 1986, Sykes played