In his lifetime Nat Hiken was known as the 'King of the Half Hour' and was rewarded with eight Emmy Awards. But in later years his contribution to television has been forgotten far too easily. It is time to look back and remember one of the giants of the small screen.
With the passing of Benny Hill, the world of comedy lost one of its greatest clowns. He broke the language barrier in much the same way as his idols; Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and his impact on a generation can easily be compared with these masters of mirth.
From an impoverished and painful beginning, she rose to become a hugely talented actress whose resilience, generosity and kindness was much admired by her contemporaries
In a career that spanned 80 years Dame Thora Hird appeared in countless stage productions, more than 100 films, some of television's best-known comedies, and prestigious award winning dramas.
Bob Hope was a one-of-a-kind entertainer. Vaudeville, stage, film, radio and television-he did it all. Friend to presidents, pal to soldiers in battle, master of the quick one-liners. His performances won him the admiration of such comedians as WC Fields, Charlie Chaplin and Woody Allen.
With his trademark "oohs" and "aahs", Frankie Howerd rose to the very pinnacle of comedic success in the United Kingdom and in spite of a few ups and downs managed to stay there for almost fifty years.
“He was funny, kind, encouraging and extremely down to earth - what he wanted most was simply to make people laugh.”
Rod Hull and Emu was an act loved equally by children and adults. But when his career turned sour, Hull came to dislike the puppet that had bought him fame and fortune, and eventually his riches would disappear altogether.
Russell Hunter enjoyed a long and varied career in theatre, film and television but a generation of fans best remembers him for his role as Lonely, the timid and smelly small-time thief and burglar and the only 'friend' of the cynical and lonely assassin Callan
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."