Biographies

Although she presented an imposing figure on screen Hattie Jacques managed to play a diverse range of roles when she may so easily have become typecast. Eric Sykes summed her up perfectly when he said, "She was one of the best comedy actresses we have ever had and a very lovely lady."

With his battered features, wicked leer and possibly the most recognisable laugh in show business, Sid James appeared to the world as a streetwise Cockney ex-heavyweight boxer. But Sid was no more an East End boy than he was a fighter.

One of the most influential television producers of a generation, Philip Jones presided over a galaxy of stars. He bought Benny Hill to ITV, provided Kenny Everett his own hit series and gave The Beatles their first national television exposure.

An influential figure in the world of British television comedy during the 1960s and 70s, actor and comedian John Junkin wrote scripts for numerous TV shows and for many comedians, including Ted Ray, Jim Davidson, Bob Monkhouse and Mike Yarwood.

They say that from small acorns mighty oaks grow, and if the old phrase can be applied to television stardom then we need look no further than much-loved comic actor Gorden Kaye for supporting evidence.

One of the most recognisable voices and faces of Irish stage and screen, David Kelly was loved and respected by his co-stars and the public alike.

Australian Bill Kerr carved himself an enduring place among an elite generation of comedians who changed the face of British comedy after the Second World War.

One critic once wrote when reviewing Geoffrey Lancashire's work, "If Geoffrey Lancashire didn't exist, he would have to have been invented."

Arthur Lowe could get more laughs by the raise of an eyebrow or a subtle hand movement than most actors could get out of whole sentences. However, in private Lowe was not filled with the laughs he so easily gave to others.

One of the best known faces on television in the 1960s and constantly in the spotlight, and yet Patrick McGoohan managed to keep his private life out of public view.