Richard Caldicot

A prolific character actor remembered by Brian Slade

Appearing as a guest in Fawlty Towers had its drawbacks. No matter that the show is one of the finest examples of British sitcom – those 12 episodes were all so well received and well known that even successful actors who had much more significant success elsewhere are remembered as ‘that one in Fawlty Towers.’ David Kelly (Mr O’Reilly), Michael Cronin (One of ‘Orelly’s’ men) and Joan Sanderson (Mrs Richards) are just a few such actors. One man whose character in the infamous Gourmet Night episode may not be the most well recognised face, carved out a fine career on stage, screen and particularly radio, becoming an integral member of the ‘character actor’ club – Richard Caldicot.

Born Richard Caldicot-Bull in 1908, Richard’s path to the profession was a more conventional one than some of his peers. Ater completing his education at Dulwich College, he trained at RADA before going into rep. It wasn’t long before he got his big break on stage and at the age of 21, he was appearing in lengthy runs on the West End.

By the start of the war, Caldicot had established himself as a regular fixture on stage, but inevitably duty called, and he joined the Gordon Highlanders and then the 7^th Rajput Regiment. After he returned to civilian life, he had no issues resuming his career, a particular highlight being in 1947 at His Majesty’s Theatre in Edward My Son, a well-received minor role below Robert Morley and Peggy Ashcroft.

Movies were never really Caldicot’s preference. Like many actors of a certain demeanour, he picked up minor parts of authority figures in the 1950s and 1960s, usually prefaced by words like Commander, Captain, Officer or Judge. But in 1959 he achieved his greatest success when cast in Lawrie Wyman and George Evans’ maritime radio comedy The Navy Lark. Caldicot played Commander Povey, placed in charge of the HMS Troutbridge, a role he would make his own through to its finale after 15 series in 1977.

The Navy Lark’s popularity enticed producers in to trying to repeat that success in other formats. A film version was released in 1959, and there was an attempt to transfer the scenario to the world of diplomatic relations in The Embassy Lark in 1966, with Frank Thornton. In 1964, there was also an attempt to convert the success into a television sitcom. H.M.S. Paradise starred Richard as Captain Turvey, again alongside Thornton. The show perhaps tried too hard to emulate the success of The Navy Lark, with similar scenarios and interplay. Unlike its radio inspiration, critics were brutal with H.M.S. Paradise and although a healthy 26 episodes were made, whether by accident or design, its episodes have all seemingly been lost.

Television roles after H.M.S. Paradise were frequent but never headline ones. Caldicot’s stiff upper lip manner allowed him to be straight man fodder for many a comedian or comedy writer throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in All Gas and Gaiters, Hark at Barker, The Goodies, and The Morecambe and Wise Show among others, but he is perhaps best known for his role as Mr Twitchen. In Fawlty Towers, Basil’s attempts to improve the quality of clientele lead him to invite the Halls and the Twitchens for a gourmet night, but then falls apart when Mr Hall (another underappreciated character actor, Allan Cuthbertson) is seen to have a twitch, leading to Caldicot’s character not getting introduced!

Caldicot would continue to have stage success, reuniting with Andrew Sachs in No Sex Please, We’re British, as well as appearing as Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady and in the hugely successful revival of Me and My Girl, where he would be reunited with his old pal Frank Thornton. Indeed, Frank would give a reading at Caldicot’s memorial service, while Loverly was chosen as a song to send him on his way.

Richard Caldicot may not have become a household name, but he was another under-appreciated cog in Britain’s comedy machine and a man whose talents would inevitably offer you the comfort that if he was in it, it was probably worth watching.