Bob Monkhouse

They laughed when I told them I wanted to be a comedian  - they’re not laughing now. A typical well-crafted line from Bob Monkhouse.

But we did laugh during his long career in stand-up, as a writer and actor, and the consummate game show host.

Bob was born into a well-to-do family in Beckenham in Kent in 1928, and showed a comedic talent early - as a schoolboy he wrote storylines and cartoons for The Beano, The Dandy and other comics. As a teenager he stood in the rain outside a theatre  stage door to sell a joke to one of his heroes, Max Miller. The notoriously mean performer paid him half a crown.

After national service in the RAF, he paired up with Denis Goodwin as a double act and writers for  comedians such as Arthur Askey, Ted Ray and Bob Hope. In all they wrote more than 2,000 scripts.

Bob proved to be the much better live performer and was soon cracking the jokes solo, but the writing partnership endured until the mid-sixties.

He mastered stand-up - his act was slick and well prepared..and for appropriate audiences, rather blue. And he was in huge demand as an after-dinner speaker and chat show guest.

But television was where Bob really made his mark - over the years he hosted Candid Camera, the Golden Shot - with its Bernie the Bolt catchphrase; Family Fortunes, Bob’s Full House, Bob says Opportunity Knocks, the National lottery show and many, many more.

He also acted in several films, including Carry on sergeant.

After his death in 2003 at the age of 75 he was described as a giant of entertainment, a one-of-a-kind genius..the comedians’ comedian.

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